


When You Play With Fire (It Burns)

by baeconandeggs, brittlepin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Animal Death, Blasphemy, Character Death, Character Development, M/M, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Physical Abuse, Religion, Road Trip, Runaway Minor, Slice of Life, The story isn't as bad as the tags make it seem, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-15
Updated: 2015-05-15
Packaged: 2018-03-30 15:32:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3942055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/brittlepin/pseuds/brittlepin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baekhyun's running from his life, for his life. Chanyeol, a dog and a bucket list are unexpected additions to the plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Play With Fire (It Burns)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abcdefghiluvyou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abcdefghiluvyou/gifts).



> Written for [baeconandeggs](http://baeconandeggs.livejournal.com/) 2015, Round 1. ([x](http://baeconandeggs.livejournal.com/16828.html))
> 
> Thank you mods, for being so patient with me, and a million thanks to my beta [Amanda](https://twitter.com/beardedgingers), for the invaluable input. 
> 
> I had so much fun working on this because I've never done anything like this before. I hope everyone has just as much fun reading it.

It's a quiet night. The full moon shines from behind wispy clouds, cicadas chirp, and soil and pebbles crunch beneath his feet as he shifts his weight uneasily from one foot to the other. It's a cool night, but there's sweat running down his neck and a stray shiver passes down his spine at every sound that he doesn't make.

Arm stretched forward, hand fisted and thumb jutting out, he hopes the incoming vehicle will stop if only for some ulterior motive. He's desperate, since the parting message he left on his bedroom wall is anything but polite, and if anyone from town decides to take a breather at midnight on the highway, they'd find him trying to hitch a ride. That would probably follow a house arrest, maybe even a beating. No one is supposed to be up, though, never after dark. His own body only fights the sleep because adrenaline runs too strong through his blood.

A sedan slows to a halt. Headlights illuminate the gravel as moonlight illuminates the driver's face. The man turns on the dome light, staring him down, and his face is as beaten up as his vehicle is. 

He smiles back wide, showing a little of his teeth because it makes him look less guilty. At least his grandmother used to say so. Out at this hour though, he's not sure anything can make him look innocent. Especially not with his hood pulled up and bags pulled close to him.

As the two men observe each other, the singing insects seem to become quiet. The darkness suddenly seems a little less consuming, the sky a little less vast and the stars only a bit more brighter.

"What'cha doin' out at this God forbiddin' hour, you damn rascal? You un ov 'em damn whores?" The man's voice is loud and gravelly, spit flying past his stained lips on every second word. 

"No, sir." He answers immediately, politely. This is the last kind of person he wants to sit in with for the next few hours, but he's in a hurry and there are no other choices. If he puts a little more strain on his ears, in his mind, he can almost hear his father snoring, his mother padding downstairs to get a glass of water, and his brother's computer whirring in the silence of the house. 

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

His eyes dart around to search for the source of the sound. It's eerily reminiscent of only a few hours ago, as a faulty faucet let water drip on the marble floor, counting down his time as he splashed water on his face, pep talking himself in the bathroom mirror for the final time. In the car, it's a loosely screwed bottle, the leaking water victimizing something that looks like a disk. "My bus broke down and I've been stranded since. I've been walking by the road all day."

"I didn' see no bus on ma way." 

At the response, he furrows his brows in what he hopes comes off as a confused and surprised expression. "Oh?"

"Where you headin' to?"

"The town over, sir," he answers, then adds as an afterthought, "to visit my sister." A little flash of teeth and a prayer that his grandmother's words were true, and the man sighs as he unlocks the door.

"What's yer name?"

"Baekbom, sir. Baekbom," he answers as he settles his tote bag by his legs and his shoulder pack on his lap before he closes the door, gently. He's miles from home but it still feels like his mother will come storming out if she hears him being loud. _Manners!_

"Baekbom? You look like an honest young lad."

It's ironic. He laughs a little in amused disbelief, then quickly overlaps it with pretended embarrassment. 

He hasn't said one honest word to this stranger. He appreciates the compliment, regardless.

"Thank you, sir."

 

His wrist watch starts beeping at six, just around the time he gets up for obligatory prayers. He wakes up in a car though, a kink in his neck, one of his legs prickling and drool dried on the corner of his lips. He groggily looks around to see the car is parked at a motel. 

He plays out would be happening at home at the very moment. 

His mother would probably be knocking on his door, _'come out, you tardy boy'_ , but today, he won't open it. She might call his brother and they would definitely resort to aggressive banging, but he still won't open it. If his father comes over, the door might be broken down. Then they'd step into his room and find his window fully open, and his bed neatly made -exactly the way his mother nags him to do before leaving for school. _My good deed for the day._

They might even loudly call out his name a few times, because they love letting everyone know _he_ is their boy. Then they'd look through his belongings and find all things of value gone. But the first thing they'd see when they step past the door frame would be his wallpaper tainted with black bold letters _'fuck your god'_ , something he'd done in the heat of the moment. They might not look through anything after that. If they make an effort though, they would also find a note _'catch me if you can'_ , tucked under a paperweight on his bedside table. His mother would probably sink to her knees, pull at her hair and let out a tear or two hundred, crying _'no, Baekhyun, no'_. His father would probably run outside with wild eyes and flaring nostrils, hoping to catch him before anyone can catch word of him missing.

The thought of his father has him stiffening in fear. He blearily ponders heading back, still. It took a lot to turn away, but it's taking much more not to turn back. He can almost smell omelet for breakfast, like usual, can almost feel the banister under his fingers as he trudges sleepily downstairs.

He wonders if he can pretend nothing happened if he goes back now. He'd just say he had the urge to go to the temple earlier than the others, pray an extra hour or something. His mother and brother would easily overlook it, like they do most things with him, but his father definitely won't. There's no chance the man would let it go, especially not after his blasphemous actions. He doesn't think anybody would be able to save him from his father's wrath now.

He'd be going back to a beating and a permanent grounding. He would even be lucky not to get any broken bones, having seen how the man can become in his fit of rage.

Outside, the morning breeze is cool, gentle, and caresses his hair as he blinks sleep out of his eyes. The driver is nowhere in sight. He walks around to rouse himself to full wakefulness, noticing how the things around him are similar to his hometown, yet so different. 

The little bit of grass is the same shade of green, the trees are the same species and the birds sing the same songs. The sun is rapidly rising but there's no school bus in sight and no one peeking at him from behind drawn curtains. He never imagined having to worry about anything other than unfinished assignments, but today, he can't believe he ever considered them problematic. Not in the face of his current concerns.

The stroll is just what he needs, because he spots the driver on the phone. 

It could be a call to the police, to his hometown, or parents, or might not be related to him at all, but he doesn't take any chances. He puts on his bag pack, and quickly rummages through the tote. After a careful look around, he shifts a switchblade from the bag to the front pocket of his hoodie. If there's one good thing he learned from his father, it's to always be armed. Yesterday, he had a short dilemma picking the most inconspicuous weapon from his father's collection, anything that looked threatening, but that the man wouldn't notice missing. But that itself would be a miracle, because the man is as devoted to his knife collection as he is to his god.

He makes sure to scribble a _'thank you'_ on the dust coated on the car. _Manners_ , his mother had always stressed.

 

Another day, another two rides and another town later, he slips into the passenger seat next to yet another stranger. He settles his shoulder pack on his lap and slides his hand into the pocket of his hoodie. The wooden handle of the switchblade underneath his fingers makes him release a relieved sigh. Next to him the driver, a middle aged man who looks rather disoriented to be driving by himself, complains about ungrateful family members and disrespectful colleagues. Baekhyun nods where it feels appropriate.

"You don't look like much of a troublemaker. Are you one?" The elder abruptly turns his attention to him, and he rapidly shakes his head.

"No, sir," he answers. 

"You look like one of these runaways, though. Are you?" 

"No, sir." He smiles at him, showing off a little of his teeth. He's perfected the look. "I'm just travelling a bit by myself."

"Right," he grunts, "What does _'Baekhyun'_ mean? That's your name, isn't it?"

Suddenly every hair on his being stands erect. He feels his heart lurch, feels the blood surge in his veins, and feels the cabin cool down. _No. No. No._ "Excuse me?" 

"That's what it says there." The man pointedly looks down at the name tag sticking on the front lapel of his bag. _Byun Baekhyun_ written in neat block letters. _Oh._ It's surprising no one has pointed it out before.

"It means _'child of light'_." He plasters the smile firmly back on.

Baekhyun has never lied so much in a full year as he lies to the kind strangers during the few hours he spends with each of them. He's glad to be out of the vehicle, because he doesn't think he can spit another lie without messing up all of his previous ones.

Without an ID, guardian, or any idea of where he is, Baekhyun wanders around the small town. A backpack on his shoulders and a tote bag in his hand, everyone can tell on first sight he's a new face and that he does not belong. 

Curious or otherwise, every pair of eyes that he catches triggers a short spike of dread. _They know. They know._ But they can't. They can't tell who he is, where he's from or that there's guilty symbol that rests just under his naval. They only know that it's pleasant weather today, enough to sweat but still be comfortable with. They only know that the sky is blue and clouds are not, because these things are universal, and who -or what- Baekhyun is, is not.

No amount of self assurance satiates him though. _One of them could be anywhere ... anyone ..._

Baekhyun quickens his pace to escape the chasing stares, stepping into the first shop he sees.

The man behind the counter isn't interested in him, clear by how he looks up only once from his newspaper. He must be used to people like him stepping in all the time - oversized hoodies and sunglasses put on to hide their faces. Baekhyun can still feel eyes following him, though. Suspicious gazes pinpointed on him as he thoughtlessly meanders through the shelves. 

He takes the moment to try and calm himself. He didn't expect to cross two towns within a day, didn't expect to get this far without being caught. When he's finally able to absorb the facts, he can't stop smiling. He walks out with a skip in his step, and not a plan in his head, except to put as much distance between himself and his hometown as possible.

The sky is blue and they say the sun is yellow, but who's Byun Baekhyun, and where is he? Nobody knows and nobody cares. Not now, at least. He repeats it to himself until he believes it, but, for some reason, he still can't. He pretends to be relieved and happy anyway.

There's a small food shack across the road, and, with no vehicles in sight, he crosses the street rather carelessly. He's taken, _stolen_ in his case, enough money from home to last him a long while, but he'll have to settle for some odd jobs here and there to keep himself from running out. 

In the food shack, only two tables are occupied: one with a couple and the other with a tall man hunched over his food. He pays no attention to them, seating himself to face away from the road and hiding his bags under the table. The elderly woman manning the place is kind, giving him an extra serving for reminding her of her grandson. He indulges her for a while, pleased with the attention and generosity. He'd always been well liked by women. She reminds him a little of his grandmother, too.

 _Everyone is loony here,_ she used to say, and Baekhyun couldn't understand why until his seventeenth came around. _Everyone is fucking mad,_ he'd said to her tombstone then. She was a city girl. She'd been an outsider, different and free spirited, so of course she saw things differently. She saw things for what they were and she sowed the seeds in his mind too. He was too young to decipher them at the time, but everything came crashing on his head after he'd cut the cake on his seventeenth birthday. 

How did she even end up in that hellhole of a town? Why did she never leave?

 _People do crazy things for love._ They shouldn't though. Baekhyun found nothing lovable about his grandfather, or his father. 

Baekhyun is slurping his noodles, lost in thought when he suddenly has a companion on the free chair opposite him.

He blinks at the German Shepherd, wondering if he's finally lost his mind or if there really is a large dog sitting there.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! This is why we don't go into cafes!" A tall man leans into his vision, laughing in embarrassment as he grabs the dog's collar and fails to get him away. His voice is deep for his rather childish face.

"It's alright. I like dogs." Baekhyun smiles politely, thinking about his drowned puppy. _How dare you bring this filthy animal into a sacred place?_

He recognizes the stranger as the man who was sitting on the low table at the far right, legs bent awkwardly and body hunched uncomfortably over his food.

The man laughs again, rather ruefully. "Candy likes strangers too much for her own good. Come here, girl." He tugs the collar again, but the dog refuses to budge.

"You can sit here, if you want," Baekhyun offers. He moves his chair a bit to make space for the stranger. Light scrapes of plastic legs against the cement floor, gentle bubbling from the open kitchen, clinking of tableware, and Baekhyun feels his thoughts reflected somewhere within the sounds. His head is quiet but chaotic. "I don't mind the company." As long as it's not out to haul him back home.

"Sorry, again." The stranger rubs his neck sheepishly, and Baekhyun notices the other's ears stick out oddly. An extra chair is dragged to the table and he sits next to Baekhyun, throwing him another uncomfortable smile. "I'm Chanyeol. This is my dog, Candy, and I'm really sorry."

"It's no bother." Baekhyun grins. "Hey, Candy." The dog's ears perk up higher on her head and she leans a little closer to the male. "You can call me Byun."

"Is that a nickname?" The stranger -Chanyeol- asks with interest. He has big hands, like Mr. Byun and _those murderers_ do, but his face says he's one of those idiots from Baekhyun's lab classes who have limbs too long and have no idea what to do with them. Baekhyun gives him a disarming smile. 

"You have..." Baekhyun taps his own face to show Chanyeol there's food sticking to his chin. The man's antics are as idiotic as his ears. He makes Baekhyun feel twenty-seven instead of seventeen, like an uncle sitting with his nephew.

"Sorry!" Chanyeol hastily searches for a napkin before giving up and cleaning his chin with the back of his hand. "You must be getting such a poor impression of me." The statement is followed by boisterous laughter. Baekhyun does not deny it, only smiles wider. "I'm actually very collected at the office. It's been a long time since I've just let go." Baekhyun hums and nods. He wonders if soon he'll be like other people, spilling his life worries to whomever is willing to listen.

_Did you wake up at the crack of dawn to worship a stone statue? No? You couldn't have had it worse than me, then. Did you go to bed after sunset because a stone statue told you to? You know, cause it's a stone statue but it controls the sun, so you should be afraid when his essence isn't there. No?_

"It's alright," the teen consoles, "Everyone has their bad days." Candy keeps her attention rapt on Baekhyun. When he gets up to pay the woman, the dog follows him. Surprised, he looks at the owner only to see their expressions mirrored. After a little prodding around, they find out that the Candy is smelling the opened packet of treats in Baekhyun's hoodie pocket. His fingers brush against his switch blade as he pulls out the food, handing it to Chanyeol, under a spiel of apologies from the taller. 

"It's not like we're ever going to see each other again," Baekhyun comments, and Chanyeol laughs dryly. 

Twenty minutes later as Baekhyun is trudging on the sidewalk and making his way out of town, a Hyundai slows down beside him. He freezes, wondering when his brother found time to buy the Pony II model, when the window rolls down and Candy barks at him. "Need a lift?" Chanyeol's voice booms from inside.

 

Chanyeol is infinitely apologetic at Candy's behaviour towards Baekhyun, and the teen is allowed to milk it for any favours from the owner. Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol is going a little overboard, because he isn't the least bit offended by anything the dog did. He finds Candy rather endearing.

"Just a lift would be great," Baekhyun answers him. In the back seat, Candy sits with her face resting on her paws, eyes droopy. "Where are you heading to?"

"I'm following a line of festivals." Chanyeol answers enthusiastically. He picks out a folded map from the dashboard and hands it over. "Truth be told though, I'm on an impromptu road trip. I need a break from my life."

"Ah." Baekhyun nods as if he understands the other's dilemma. _Don't we all, though?_ He's running for his life so maybe he can relate to some extent, to the adventurous part perhaps. He opens the map, looks at all the marked points before finally drawing his eyes to his hometown, seeing how far he has managed. 

_In the daylight, he is everywhere._ Baekhyun scowls as he remembers their prayers. _His sight reaches where his light does, and his touch reaches as far as his wings stretch. Everywhere._ He dismisses the thoughts, wondering if Chanyeol will let him keep the map. 

"What about you?" Chanyeol looks down at the bag placed by Baekhyun's feet. Every question that doesn't leave his lips shows in his eyes. _He doesn't know. He can't know._

"I'm just ... wandering?" Baekhyun internally chides himself for sounding so unsure. He folds the map back into its perfect creases and stares out the window, tilting his head away from the other. The sky is bright and cloudless, like Chanyeol is pleasant and easy to read. The temperature outside is burning hot, though, like fire burning under the soil _because he's everywhere. Do you feel him?_

If Baekhyun could, he'd altogether avoid touching his feet to the ground. Thus the vehicle is a blessing. It's cool, and a nice change from the previous few days of travel - _running_. It's like a blanket of false security, some comfort to his aggravated heart.

"No partners?"

"Look, I'm probably older than you, alright? I can manage myself." Baekhyun places the map above the dashboard, keeping his tone clipped, and Chanyeol gives him a look of utter disbelief. "I'm twenty-one." He gets that looks again, "Almost." 

"I'm your hyung, then." Chanyeol replies smugly. "I'm much older than I look. Want to make a guess?" 

"Twenty ... two?"

"Ah, let's go with that." He grins. Baekhyun frowns. "You don't look anywhere near twenty." Chanyeol sounds almost accusatory, side eying the younger. _He doesn't know. He doesn't know._

"I get that a lot." The lie spills out smoothly. He is still seventeen but he's in no mood to be reported to the police as a runaway. Word would get to his father too soon and he'd have no chances left. Everyone in his hometown must be going crazy right now, leaving no stone unturned looking for him. What he'd give to see the look on the _High One_ 's face.

Chanyeol drops him off at the next stop, a small industrial town. It's easy to hitch a ride from one of the pickups, and he spends almost a day sitting in one. When he finally stands up his legs are wobbly from disuse, and his knees ache. 

He feels like a wooden puppet who's strings have been loosened up so he can test the movements of his body. It's oddly fitting because puppets are made of wood, which easily catches fire, and how he _hates_ fire. It's all consuming, it spreads like an epidemic and it destroys one beyond recognition. The strings still seem to tug once in a while, reminding him that they be can pulled taut any second, and he'll be back to the stage, performing and pretending. Before everything will go down in flames.

Most, if not all, of his waking hours are spent wrapped in his thoughts as strangers help him get farther and farther away over the coming days. He notes with dismay that he's lost weight and his skin has dimmed from its healthy colour. 

At another unknown, unnamed town, he uses the public bath and does his laundry without anyone bothering him. He buys cheap food and also finds someone to give him a lift. Baekhyun wonders if this is what living will be reduced to for him. It's been almost a week since he's been on his own, and every other day of freedom gives him a little more hope, gives him a little more confidence in his plan - which isn't much of anything to begin with. Somewhere, between one ride and another he loses his tote bag but the loss doesn't dampen his resolve.

He thinks back to the tall stranger's words, something about a road trip and a break from life. The man's name is already a hazy fog in the back of his mind, but he remembers the dog well, Candy. In a way, he's also on a road trip, since that's most of what he has seen since he left home. He's been running from one town to the next, with one hand always in his pocket, pressed soothingly against the weapon hidden there. 

Baekhyun wonders if he can cross the border. No one would be able to bring him back, then. Never mind that he has no idea how to go about it all but he knows he'll figure something out. From what he knows, there are many people wanting to leave Korea for a better life in the west. There are riots in the cities for democracy and change. Surely he'd be able to find some way out. Dying by a bullet is better than what awaits him in his hometown, at least. 

His teachers said he was too clever for his own good - too curious, too argumentative, too volatile in his thoughts. Just like his _"wretched"_ grandmother had been.

His current predicament though, is hitching another ride, because rain clouds are gathering above his head, and the pickup broke down on the side of the road.

Candy's owner started his journey to relax, cut some slack for himself. He even had the companionship of a dog. That's probably what road trips are for: reflecting, revising, releasing, or perhaps even just letting go.

Baekhyun's is one hell of an idiosyncratic road trip, he sourly thinks as he extends his arm and sticks out his thumb.

A newlywed couple picks him up this time. "We're on the way to the coast, to celebrate our honeymoon." The woman says as she turns around in her seat and smiles sweetly at him. Baekhyun smiles back. He watches the man place his hand discreetly over hers, and wonders if his parents were ever so affectionate towards each other. Try as he might, he can't recall anything in his house ever making him feel warm from the inside. 

The happy things are overshadowed by his father's stinging words and his mother's disapproving _tut tuts_. His own brother was a side character for everything. The way they ignored each other, they might never have been related at all. He remembers being manhandled by them for everything. Only grandmother's hands were soft on his skin while the town's people refused to touch him, too terrified of being near him. Whispers and probing eyes followed him every time his name was called out in school, or when he went to the temple for dusk prayers. He thought he was a freak because of the mark on his skin, but it turned out he was so much more.

"You look like you're doing some soul searching," the man comments, looking at Baekhyun through the rear view mirror. "Me and a friend went out too, once, back in college. We spent a whole month just jumping towns."

"It sounds like you had a lot of fun," Baekhyun replies, short and non committal as he always does. The surprise on his seventieth was that he would never go to college. 

"Did you find what you've been looking for?" the woman asks, again turning around to Baekhyun, "Are you old enough to be by yourself?" she teases.

"I'm twenty, actually, and I don't know if I can find what I'm looking for." He doesn't even know what the hell he's looking for. Freedom, maybe? He already has it. The challenge is keeping it and not regretting it.

"What have you seen on the way so far?" The man asks and Baekhyun has no answer. He has been so preoccupied with _running running running_ he never realized he was out of his small, restricted world and now out in the bigger one. 

It's not the same view outside his bedroom window anymore. Now he's seen so many different sights every night before he closes his eyes. There is no strict routine, no sighs of disapproval, no future plans. The faces of the people finally changed. _Thank you,_ because he thought he'd die seeing them. The vehicles, the smells, the sounds, everything has changed.

There is so much to see, so many things he can do. He is young, and there is no one to set the boundaries for him anymore. He can lay out beside the highway, and no one can nag him for it. He can kiss a random stranger, and his parents won't cry in outrage. He can stay up all night watching the stars, or run in the grass with nothing but his shorts on -he laughs at that. He can spit out all the curses he wants and there are no _gods_ , no sacrifices, no duties or shame or death. No one to hold his tongue, to pull his fingers, or to pinch his spirit. He is really, truly free.

Even if this freedom turns out to be limited -and it is, he knows- he _has_ to live. It shouldn't be about opening his eyes every morning to breathe for another day. He doesn't just want to survive. He wants to know what life is, what the world has and what he can do with his time on it. He's finally free of their claws and the possibilities of the things he can do are endless.

If Baekhyun is caught _after_ he fully explores this freedom, he probably will have no complaints. He knows his capture is inevitable. It's now a matter of how he explores this newfound desire to enjoy his freedom.

The coast is the best place to start.

He heartily thanks the couple and instead of standing by the road to hitch another ride, makes his way towards the seaside carnival. He pats the pocket of his sweatshirt, feeling the sunglasses clink against the switchblade. In the moment, he pulls down the hood to feel the sea breeze.

The grey rainclouds still float above but never burst, gently being guided away by soft winds. Baekhyun breathes in the salty smell of the sea. There are a lot of people around but no one he knows. He cautiously approaches the water and lets his feet be kissed by the white froth that races from the sea, retreating and approaching, over and over. The sand is soft and tickles as it brushes against his toes, a strange glimmering mixture of particles that were never so beautiful on TV or in photos. He stands still for a moment, enjoying the feeling of water crashing against his feet and watching with little concealed fascination as his ankles are submerged by the oncoming tide.

A little more confident, he moves further into the water. After placing his bag at a safe distance, but within his sight, he runs back into the water until he is submerged to his knees. Running in water is a challenge, but kicking it around is delirious fun. He even manages to get into a water fight with two siblings and comes back to dry sand, soaked to his hair. 

Baekhyun doesn't remember ever laughing so freely. After a failed attempt at making a sandcastle, he finds himself running back into the water. It isn't until the sun is sinking behind the water, painting the sky in soft hues, that Baekhyun hears his stomach grumble. 

It's been many sunsets since he last said his prayers. He always had to give his attendance at the temple at this time of the day, then dinner, then bed.

The last time he saw his reflection was in a convenience store's glass door. He was sporting eye bags and his cheeks stood out on his sallow face. His body also aches from the travelling and the restless sleeping. He wakes up at every sound and any sudden movement, blinking owlishly in the dark, trying to detect who's there and why. 

Another day is closing, and he's still alive, he's still free, and he's not pretending to worship a slab of stone. He steps into the fair to look for food.

He had previously been to a carnival only once, as a child. The memory rests in his subconscious mind in bits and flashes of lights. At seventeen, he is out again, surrounded by so many sounds, smells and faces that his heart gives an unexpected lurch of both anxiety and excitement. 

Surprisingly, the crowd is more youthful than familial. People wander in groups, laugh freely, playfully shove each other, and shout songs they want on the speakers. Baekhyun can't wipe the grin off his face as he ducks under an arm and moves ahead to look for something to satiate his stomach with.

He goes to a washroom first, washing off as much of the itchy sand from his skin as possible before he goes back to the fun. 

The teen tries a little of everything because the food is so graciously affordable and delicious. Even here, though, Baekhyun looks a little out of place carrying a shoulder pack, but no one seems to care. Baekhyun contemplates if it's a good idea to spend money on the games and rides, before he decides, _to hell with it_ , and purchases his ticket. 

He screams until his lungs give out, laughs until his voice is gone and runs from one ride to the next until he can feel how hot he's become under his patting hands. The exhilaration is something so foreign and exciting, he wants more. There's no harm in any of this. He can't understand why his parents frowned at talk of leaving town.

Baekhyun takes off the shoulder bag and stretches before he arranges it over his back again. He turns around only to trip over something warm and furry. 

It turns out to be a large dog, one with a bark too loud to be considered friendly and Baekhyun scrambles backwards on his hands.

"Hey! Wow! Fancy meeting you here!" The voice is one he's familiar with, even though he never expected to hear it.

"Candy!" Baekhyun crouches in front of the dog and scratches her ears. She becomes a mush under his hands. Her tongue lolls out and she presses herself into Baekhyun's touch. 

"Ah, sorry; I forgot your name." The man laughs, same as last time, apologetic and sheepish. 

"I'm Baekhyun." The name is out before he can realize what he's said and he starts, but instantly calms himself. His throat burns as he speaks, "I don't remember your name either, so we're kind of even."

"Chanyeol, Park Chanyeol." He looks amused by Baekhyun's croaky voice and helps him to his feet. "You're still carrying around that stuff?" Candy barks at them, trying to divert the attention to herself. Baekhyun notices the dog is on a leash but apparently still out of Chanyeol's control.

"I don't really have a choice." Baekhyun shrugs. "I'm used to it." Chanyeol looks at him more carefully than he's comfortable with. The teen puts a fist to his mouth and fakes a cough. "Candy seems to want something."

Chanyeol's attention darts towards his dog who's sniffing around his ankles. He lightly nudges her away with the side of his shoe. "Are you going to join the night fest?"

"What's that?" he croaks. 

"Camping by the shore, bonfire, barbeque and all," Chanyeol answers, trying to stop his dog from coiling the leash around his legs. " _Calm down,_ Candy."

"I can't. I'm not equipped for any of that," Baekhyun says, gesturing towards the bags, "This is all I've got." There's suddenly a newfound realization that he has no place to stay for the night.

"We can sleep in open air, " Chanyeol offers immediately, "I'm sure they have sleeping bags to spare." He grins. Baekhyun sees blinking neon lights reflect in Chanyeol's eyes, and he thinks he might have a vague idea where the term 'stars in one's eyes' comes from. 

"I've already spent a whole day here." he replies, "I don't like staying in one place too long."

He's soon to find out that Chanyeol is very good at convincing people, _'It's the only reason they let me stay in PR,'_ he says, but the joke is lost on Baekhyun, who laughs along anyway.

There's a bonfire by the beach and only people with tickets can join whatever the night fest is. Chanyeol graciously purchases one for Baekhyun along with a sleeping bag, even offers for him to keep his luggage in Chanyeol's car when they go to get Chanyeol's sleeping bag.

"Do you like blowing your money on people you meet?" Baekhyun jokingly asks as he tucks his new sleeping bag under his arm, tightly holding Candy's leash with the other. She's much tamer with him for some reason.

"I buy my friends." Chanyeol's tone is sarcastic, but the younger feels truth lingering right under the words.

"I'm always sold by mine, so congratulations! I'm your newest purchase, and we're going to get along great."

Chanyeol laughs; it's what he seems to do when he's at a loss for words. "I like you."

As soon as Baekhyun enters the area, he's immediately bombarded with second thoughts. He somewhat expected the music but not the dance, drinks and _fire_. Chanyeol senses his discomfort, if the hand squeezing his shoulder is anything to go by. Baekhyun looks over the scene again, assuring himself that he's only here for a safe place to sleep. Though he's not sure where exactly he's supposed to lay down when there's deafening music and people jumping around everywhere.

"Let's join them." Chanyeol gestures towards a group gathered by a bonfire. They seem like a friendly bunch, serenading to two guitarists, and Candy gets restless with the leash. 

Baekhyun almost screams out, _absolutely not_. The circular gathering chills his body. People around a fire. The stone table in front of the god's feet. Songs of praises and sacrifice. Things come to him in horrifying flashes of red and orange, and he tries to swat them away. Funny how fire warms people up, but seems to turn Baekhyun ice cold.

The wind coming from the sea is cool, but Baekhyun fears the next blast will be scalding, setting him alight within a moment. His stomach churns uncomfortably. He feels like he's stepped into a trap. Everyone is going to turn towards him and drag him towards the flame, pushing his back on it like all the previous times. _Look! The chosen one!_ His hand flies to the mark on his naval, and he wishes, like every night before he closes his eyes, if only he could tear the stain out of his skin.

Baekhyun tries to hold Candy back, fearing for her, until Chanyeol bends down and sets her free. 

"She loves music. Especially mine." Chanyeol says, pointing out a free spot closest to the guitarists, closest to the fire.

Baekhyun stays rooted to his spot. "Let's sit there." He doesn't wait for an answer before he makes his way to the furthest spot, almost looking like a rejected member of the group. Chanyeol follows hesitantly, looking like he wants to know why.

Soon though, Chanyeol can't stand sitting in such a neglected place and heads to the front.

When requested, one of the musicians lends Chanyeol his guitar. The elder's fingers look too thick, and his hands look too big to handle the delicate looking guitar strings, much like his father's. Baekhyun waits for a disaster to happen, for the strings to break and horrifying tunes to reach his ears, but the movement of Chanyeol's hands is leisurely and fluid, pelting out fun tunes that everyone seems to recognize.

Candy particularly seems to be enjoying herself. She sits calmly, and her tail thumps on the sand, appreciating her owner's talent. Baekhyun keeps his eyes strictly on the dog, watching the shadows dance on her frame. All remnants of sleep flew out when he spotted the large fire. 

Baekhyun doesn't know half the songs they're singing, but Chanyeol seems well versed in every single one. When he's done, he theatrically bows to the cheers before making his way back to Baekhyun.

"Wow! Chanyeol is so amazing!" Baekhyun croons, concealing the shakiness of his voice by imitating a girl's pitched tone.

"That's _'oppa'_ to you." He jokingly hits the younger's arm.

"Chanyeol or uncle, your choice." 

"No respect for this uncle." Chanyeol pouts, which throws out any ground of him being mature. "I'll settle with blatant disrespect. You may call me Chanyeol."

"I never planned on anything else," Baekhyun snickers. Candy trots back to them, and they scratch her ears and her sides until she's rolling in the sand. She nips Chanyeol's hands each time he pulls back, until she grows bored and settles her head on his feet. "Such a spoiled princess," Baekhyun comments.

"That's my daughter there." Their knees bump as Chanyeol shifts to accommodate Candy better. 

"Do you have a pen?" Baekhyun asks out of the blue. He pulls out a flyer he received earlier and flattens it out on his thigh, pressing down the creases. "I'm making a wish list." Chanyeol brings it from someone in the group.

"Wish list?" he sounds amused. "Are you dying or something?"

"Well, aren't we all?" Baekhyun asks as he lists down numbers from one to ten. "Every year we live is another year we lose."

"So you're making a wish list tonight?" Chanyeol inches too close for comfort. Baekhyun pointedly ignores the invasion of personal space, especially ignores how Chanyeol pretty much dwarfs him, like his father used to, like the statue in the temple used to.

"Things I have to do before I die," Baekhyun dictates as he writes.

"Cheers for the optimism." Chanyeol nudges his elbow with his own. 

Star gazing. "Oh, I can help with that!" Chanyeol exclaims. 

Visit a zoo. "Oh, there's one in Hakdou." Chanyeol informs. 

Shop lift. "Why would you want to do that?"

Drive. "You don't look like you can reach the pedals, though." Baekhyun changes it to, _crash a car,_ much to Chanyeol's amusement. 

Get drunk. "That's not hard at all," Chanyeol laughs, "I've got a stock in my car too." Probably insufficient to get Baekhyun drunk enough to forget his own name, because that's the level he's aiming for.

"You can't miss the Spring Festival at Fushi. It's a one of a kind thing." Chanyeol beams at him as he says this. Baekhyun writes it down to humour him. "Have you ever been camping, in the Jugou Park?"

"Nope." Baekhyun writes down 'camping'. "What else can I do?" He thinks of clubbing, drunken kisses, buying a talking parrot, going hunting, having sex, and starts writing down things that would keep Chanyeol's teasing to a minimum. He has his 'twenty year old' image to protect too, though he suspects part of it has already been tarnished by the first few things in his list.

Sleep comes to him too quickly, having been held back for the better part of the night. He hears Chanyeol pointing out constellations, saying something about _Orion_ , and something about planetary movements. 

As he dozes off, he thinks about home. He _knows_ what everyone might be saying about him. He thinks about his parents, his brother and his classmates. He thinks about how many prayers he's missed and how crossed the temple god -the _fucking statue_ \- must be with him. He thinks about everyone and everything but misses no one and nothing. 

 

When his eyes open, the sun has yet to rise, but the sky is gaining colour and visibility is good. Baekhyun looks around for the movement that triggered him to wakefulness. 

A voice urgently yells at him to get down. He turns around and gets hit on the forehead.

"Shit! I'm so sorry!" Chanyeol's voice booms right in his ear. Baekhyun resists any help to stand as he stays crouching down to nurse his throbbing forehead. Candy's bark sounds too delighted. 

"You were playing Frisbee with your dog?" He asks, blinking his eyes rapidly to rid them of tears. Chanyeol laughs sheepishly in response. "The sun isn't even out yet." He says incredulously.

"We're early risers," Chanyeol confesses, "You should go back to sleep. You look like you need the rest."

The seagulls and crashing waves sound too loud when he's used to serenity for sleep. Everyone around him is still snuggled up inside their bags and tents. 

Baekhyun rolls up his sleeping bag, slumps down tiredly on it and watches the sun rise over the horizon. The sea is beautiful, but he thinks the sunrise back at home was much more so. Birds would sing, greenery would look fresh and vibrant, and flowers would spread their scents all around. There was a tranquility at the time that can't be replicated anywhere. 

Candy settles her snout on his thigh, whining lowly, as if sharing the little ache of his heart. He can feel Chanyeol standing behind him as well.

After breakfast, they make their way towards Chanyeol's car, Candy trotting between their legs and trying to trip her owner. As soon as Chanyeol opens the back door, she jumps in, nosing her way through the things and yipping at Baekhyun's bag.

"Candy, down. Down girl." Chanyeol tries to pull her back by her collar.

"Let me," Baekhyun places the sleeping bag on the roof and pulls his shoulder pack out. Candy barks her approval, tail wagging and tongue swiping over her nose. "It's probably the treats, again." He digs around in the front pocket. Sure enough, a half-empty packet makes the dog excitable enough to jump out and sit by Baekhyun's feet, waiting to be fed. "All yours." Baekhyun hands them over to Chanyeol. "Thanks for everything." He bows deeply, "I'll always remember your kindness."

"You're leaving?" he asks in surprise and disbelief.

"I have to make my way to ... somewhere." Baekhyun scratches his jaw. He looks through his bangs at the elder's face, hoping his cluelessness is undetectable. He's only lying to himself.

"Do you just swing it, or do you really have a plan on where to go next?" Chanyeol asks, half curious, half amused. Candy gets restless sitting between then, so she takes to circling her owner, nudging her muzzle between his legs and trying to get his attention with low whines.

"Swing it?" It sounds like a question even to his own ears, but that's probably because that's the closest he can come to admitting that he wants to be anywhere but his hometown. 

"Fushi Spring Festival is on your wish list," he points out, "and I just happen to be on my way there, next." Baekhyun nods slowly. "You can come along with me."

"I hope I don't end up in the back of your trunk," Baekhyun confesses after a moment of thoughtful silence, placing his bag back into the cabin.

"There's no room for you in there." Chanyeol grins. 

Again, Baekhyun can't help but compare him to the bright and sunny day.

 

Baekhyun finds that time seems nonexistent in Chanyeol's company. Travelling in a car, in safety, in company, wards off all thoughts of his home, because Chanyeol never lets him be on his own, not even with his own thoughts. 

Candy is a joy to be around. He quickly learns that she likes to tease Chanyeol, and her intelligence amazes him. She happily shows off little tricks that she can do, and Baekhyun excitedly commands her, thinking if only he'd had the same chance with his pet puppy. She keeps still if Chanyeol asks her to play around, but when Baekhyun repeats the command, she's only too happy to comply.

Chanyeol talks a lot. He talks about his college, his previous jobs, his office. He talks about his neighbours, his friends, his projects. He talks about anything under the sun, and he has opinions about everything. Baekhyun would mention something in passing, and Chanyeol would chatter on the subject for a good few minutes before the one-sided conversation would deviate elsewhere. 

His voice has a low bass, a sound slightly intimidating when he's not smiling, and the way he starts sentences makes them seem really important, making sure the listener is hooked on every word -only to find out Chanyeol is talking about how his favourite ice cream is made.

He talks animatedly, with hand gestures and vivacious expressions, a smile too big and eyes too bright, and it fools one into considering him naive. Baekhyun soon finds that Chanyeol is anything but.

He speaks like he's rote learned every book in the universe, but his opinions are solid and self-founded. He's knowledgeable, and his wisdom shows sometimes as he comments on things. His points never end with 'because I said so'. They have facts and experience backing them up.

History seems to be his favoruite subject. He talks excitedly about chains of events, things that could have been and those that changed the face of the world. He's oddly enthralled by wars, though. 

"People take up arms because they want to protect the ones they love, but the ones on the other side are doing the same thing. So, everyone is killing everyone for love. That's a little sad, isn't it?"

Baekhyun can't find it in himself to care for past events. If he were dying for love, maybe he would. But he's going to die like a damsel in a crap low budget movie.

He hums thoughtfully as Chanyeol goes on admiringly about how things are razed and burned down, entire cities and races, but then they find it in themselves to rise again. Life restarts from their remains. 

By the time they've pulled over to stop for lunch, the ride has turned into a lesson in history and human will. It's when Chanyeol starts talking about the London fire, as if looking back on a fond memory, does Baekhyun interrupt.

"Has anyone told you that you're like a human encyclopedia?" Baekhyun asks when they're seated, Candy nestling herself by Baekhyun's feet. Chanyeol's lips fall apart and so does the salad from his mouth. 

"Huh?"

"You know so much," Baekhyun says with wonder. "Not useless things, I mean, you know a lot of useful things, you know? Like a nerd, maybe?"

"I compose music, and I have a dog," Chanyeol refutes, almost defending and offended. Under the table, Candy leaves Baekhyun's side. "I don't even look like a nerd."

"Are nerds supposed to look like something?" Baekhyun stifles a chuckle, "It's not about that. What I'm trying to say is that, uh," He hums thoughtfully, ignoring Chanyeol's burning gaze and wondering if he should just tell the other to stop talking about deaths, and fires, and weapons. "I just feel like you know more about stuff than my science or history teachers do, combined." 

"Oh," Chanyeol blinks. He leans back in his chair, eyes locked at a point behind Baekhyun and thoughts seemingly lost there. "Maybe, I have more exposure?"

"You can't be half as old as they are," Baekhyun raises an eyebrow.

"Is it a bad thing, though?"

"Not really," Baekhyun pauses, swallowing a bite and making time to think over his next words, "I just feel like you're kind of obsessed with destruction. Maybe you should talk more about happier things. Maybe you should spend more time with people instead of books?" Comments like these usually get him in trouble with adults, but, if Baekhyun cared he would have broken the habit. Chanyeol already thinks he's twenty, surely Baekhyun is entitled to share his 'twenty year old' opinion.

The odd thing is that he's never very forward with strangers, only with people he knows to some extent, those whose reactions he can predict. Right now, he's unsure if Chanyeol will forget this and move on, or be peeved and dump him.

"But, isn't it boring?" Chanyeol turns his attention back to the man in front of him. His eyes are suddenly blazing, and Baekhyun can feel an argument coming. "I think it's boring. People lead such short lives, and if they're happy, their lives are never interesting."

"I don't think so," Baekhyun smiles, "You're PhD kind of smart, and you seem happy, but, you're still an interesting person." Chanyeol's laugh is boisterous. He can't hide the tips of his ears from turning red. "Do you have photographic memory, maybe?"

"No, I don't." He grins, edging his chair closer. "I've noticed something about you too."

"Uh oh."

"You don't want the conversation to be directed towards yourself."

"It's a well known fact," Baekhyun brushes it off with a wave of his hand. 

"I'm curious," Chanyeol smiles, "Everything in the world is constant, but people. You expect them to follow one track of thought, but they'll suddenly derail and you have a new thing happening. I know a lot of things, but somehow, I feel like I can never know enough about people."

"What do you know so far?" Baekhyun asks. Candy crawls out from under the table. They watch her trot, confused, as she moves away and comes back, only to leave them again with her ears high on her head. Baekhyun turns his attention back to the elder. Chanyeol meets his eyes at the same time.

"Not enough. I can never know enough." Chanyeol answers, biting down on his food immediately. They eat in silence after that, Candy still alert and standing under the table. Chanyeol speaks up again, "You're hiding things, aren't you?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

"You're pretty wound up, and, it shows. Whatever situation you're in, you're not being yourself in it."

It's Baekhyun who pauses eating this time, "Excuse me?" His hand immediately digs into the front pocket of his sweatshirt, curling around the switch blade. _You can't be_ normal, _you can't run away from this, Baekhyun._

"I've learned not to judge anyone over their secrets. It should be common sense though." Chanyeol wipes his mouth clean, still missing the sauce on the side of his chin until Baekhyun points it out, "I have plenty of my own."

They share a smile, and it's bleak and meaningless. Baekhyun wonders if Chanyeol knows. _He can't, though. He can't._ Candy suddenly barks, hackles raised and biting at air.

"What's wrong?" Baekhyun stands, letting go of the blade, looking between the dog and her owner. 

"Girl, what's up?" Candy barks in response, running to Chanyeol before running away towards the parking space, only to stop halfway and return. One of her ears flicks to the side, and her head follows the motion quickly, before she barks at nothing in particular. "I think she wants us to leave." Chanyeol sounds certain. As he stands up, the chair grates harshly against the floor, and Candy runs away again. 

"I'll get the bill." Baekhyun reaches in his back pocket for his wallet.

"Get to the car. I'll get the bill." Chanyeol tosses the keys and Baekhyun is quick to catch them in both hands.

"Seriously?" His eyebrows raise high enough to hide behind his bangs, "You're just giving them to me?"

"You talk as if you're going to run away." Chanyeol shows him a heartless grin before he hurries towards the cash register.

Baekhyun follows Candy into the parking area. When he unlocks the vehicle, Candy is the first one in, as usual, and Baekhyun wonders if he should take the driver's seat just to see the look on Chanyeol's face. He settles into his own instead. Candy restlessly paws at the window, so Baekhyun rolls it down for her.

Chanyeol arrives soon, face void of any expression. As he backs the vehicle out of the spot, Baekhyun notices a Besta settle in. He grips his shirt tightly, pulling in his lips and biting them because he feels a strong need to start screaming, to open the door and fling himself out, to _run run run_ until he's nothing but a speck on the horizon. 

He needs to get away. _Don't scream. Don't move. Don't cry. Don't. Don't. Don't._

Candy's paws settle in the space between their seats, her muzzle pressing against Baekhyun's shoulder. He yelps and jumps in his seat from the unexpected contact. She whines, and this catches Chanyeol's attention. They lock gazes, until Baekhyun looks away to the van and Chanyeol follows the direction with newfound interest. 

"Cool, huh?" He comments at the poster that covers the entire back of the other vehicle. It resembles a large bird, flames gushing out of its stretched wings and extended towards the side doors, whilst a large solar symbol takes the entire space on its stomach.

"Do you know what that is?" Baekhyun tears his eyes away from the poster and locks them on his knees instead. His fingernails feel like blades digging into his palm, even through the fabric of his shirt.

"A badass poster?"

Baekhyun bursts out laughing. It's a hollow sound even to his own ears. "I thought you were all-knowing."

"That's what you presumed." Chanyeol steers the vehicle out, his eyes continuously shifting to Baekhyun to make sure he's alright. Baekhyun tries to see the faces coming out of the Besta in the rear-view mirrors. "Why? Is it symbolic or something?"

"That was a phoenix. Even a child knows that." Baekhyun answers, relaxing his fingers from the grip on his shirt. Candy suddenly licks his face, and he groans loudly before reaching for the tissue box on the dashboard.

If Chanyeol notices the tremor in his fingers, he doesn't mention it. "Phoenixes are known for fire and resurrection, right?" he asks. "Odd things to group together. Destruction and reconstruction." 

"They're also worshipped as gods by demented people," Baekhyun adds. "The god of summer, the god who keeps the sun blazing, and the god of what-not. People actually built fucking temples for it, you know, because, of course, a bird on fire is the answer to everything."

"That's a first," Chanyeol laughs. "But if it's a bird that keeps the sun 'blazing', then shouldn't it have the right to be worshipped?"

"Yeah, and science says kiss my ass."

"You sure are stingy about this." Chanyeol smirks, "You don't like birds?"

"I don't like anything that has to do with religion." Baekhyun huffs. "They're nothing but excuses to feed shit-headed people. Who cares what happened thousands of years ago? What's now is now. Why should anyone care about the past? We worship a stone statue, for fuck's sake."

"I think people need something like that to give them hope. A god gives them reason to believe that something bigger is out there, someone that will listen to them, and help them."

"I call bullshit. This god thing is the best way to brainwash people into idiocy. _Don't have sex with your wife, god does not like it._ Yea, fuck you too."

"Making temples and asking for help from something greater isn't wrong," Chanyeol says, "It's just the way it's done now." He hums as his lips pull tight, "People don't care about god anymore, not until they need him. It's not about being grateful for what he's given you. Now it's about what he's yet to give you, how he's lacking in giving you everything you need."

"If I could cry to god like that, I wouldn't need my parents," Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

Chanyeol chuckles at him. "What would you ask from god?"

"I don't need anything from him," Baekhyun sneers, "He's already given me _enough_." Chanyeol looks surprised at the answer.

"You don't sound happy about that, though."

"Who's ever happy with god?" 

Candy barks, rubbing her snout against Chanyeol's shoulder. The stunned look from his face disappears as he looks down at his dog, a quiet sigh leaving him. His lips tighten, pulled to the side as he focuses on driving. He looks deep in thought. 

"Sorry if I offended you," Baekhyun apologizes, sounding the least bit honest.

"I'm not offended. It's just the first time I've heard anyone say something like this."

"That god is unwanted?"

"You must hurt god's feelings a lot." Chanyeol jokes.

"I'm pretty sure I have more feelings than a stone." Baekhyun scratches Candy's neck, trying to settle her back into the cabin and stop distracting Chanyeol. "I got the short end of stick in life, but I'm not on my knees begging a make-believe thing to save me. I'm saving myself, and he's welcome to watch me kick and kill."

Chanyeol laughs loudly this time. "What would you do if he was watching right now?"

Baekhyun looks up at that. Then he raises his middle finger and holds it out the window, "Are you watching me, god?"

 

The speed limit is sixty kilometers per hour, and Baekhyun drives nowhere close to the number. Chanyeol grips the dashboard, panicking every time a vehicle comes into sight. He has no time to be worrying about Candy, who's enjoying the wind blasting her face as she holds it out the open window.

"We're not going to crash, trust me!" Baekhyun laughs. The radio is on full blast to drown out Chanyeol's protests. "Listen to this song!" Baekhyun suddenly jumps -the car lurches as he messes his feet on the pedal. Candy barks in protest and Chanyeol tries to steady his heart behind his ribs.

"Baekhyu- watch the road! Watch the road! Watch the- Car! Car! Watch the car!"

" _Piss on heaven and shit on the book, kiss my ass, I said fuck the lord!_ " Baekhyun sings loudly. Chanyeol looks scandalized. " _I said fuck my god, I said fuck your lord! There's no messiah, so fuck the lord!_ I love this station!"

"I don't think it'll be functioning too long after this, but at least you have people who share your views," Chanyeol says, assured that he remains unheard by the younger as he sings along to a blacklisted track. "Why are you driving so fast?"

"Why do you drive so slow when you can gun it so high?" Baekhyun shoots back before singing along with the radio, oblivious to Chanyeol shaking his head. _Run. Run. Run. No looking back._

When they stop to refuel, Chanyeol does not let Baekhyun back on the driver's seat, quickly shuffling over to take the place behind the wheel. "I'm adventurous, not suicidal."

"You're old and boring." Baekhyun sneers as he fiddles with the radio, trying to learn the stereo system. Chanyeol swats his hand away, making sure the younger doesn't start blasting other blasphemous things on his system.

The rest of the drive is spent with Baekhyun counting trees and road signs. Grandmother said she used to count cars in the city as a little girl, and it sounds fun, too, but there's barely any life on the highway, spare the lines of trucks transporting goods. Every time he looks up he makes a comment on Chanyeol's driving, but the elder only smiles at them, shaking his head. 

No matter how terrified the other had been of Baekhyun's skills -or lack thereof- behind the wheel, he still laughs to himself at the memory of the boy in the driver's seat. 

In the back seat, Candy seems content with her head sticking out the window. Chanyeol sneaks a glance at Baekhyun again, but this time his eyes are caught. "Watch the road," the younger mimics Chanyeol's voice, forcing another round of laughter from him. 

 

"You're like my fairy godmother." Baekhyun grins as he hoists his backpack higher on his shoulder. He stays close to Chanyeol when they leave the reception desk to head to their room, Candy right on his heels.

"I'm flattered?" Chanyeol slings his own duffel bag over his shoulder, looking over Baekhyun with a bemused expression.

"No, really," Baekhyun insists. "You seem to know everything about everything. You're helping me fulfill my wish list, and you're letting me leech you of your money."

"It's not leeching if I'm giving it willingly." Chanyeol pulls a face.

"And it's really from the goodness of your heart?" he snorts. 

"It's from the heart all right." Chanyeol thumps his chest. He unlocks the door and opens it wide for his company to step in. 

Baekhyun dumps his bag on one of the single beds, falling down right after it. It seems like ages since he last had a bed to sleep on. He tries to keep himself awake until Chanyeol is asleep, but as soon the man enters the joined washroom, Baekhyun is out like a light.

He wakes up, sitting abruptly and wheezing, patting his hands all over himself to make sure every part is where it's supposed to be. Beside the bed, Candy jolts awake, as well, startled and starts barking. Baekhyun tries to hush her, but it's too late.

"What happened?" Chanyeol asks groggily, sitting up and flicking on the bedside lamp. Candy clambers on Baekhyun's bed, still barking. 

"Nothing." Baekhyun whispers, laying back down and pulling the sheet back over himself. He's hot and sweating, but the little cover is what he needs. He pats around his pocket, instantly relieved when he feels the comforting weight of the switchblade.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Chanyeol rubs his eyes, trying to get a good look at Baekhyun through the semi darkness. "Candy, _down_." She follows the command, going back to her spot on the floor. 

"No," he turns around, flicks off the lamp, and tries to go back to sleep, "good night, Chanyeol." Sleep refuses to indulge him fully, and he wavers in and out of consciousness throughout the night.

Chanyeol and Candy are insanely early risers. Baekhyun listens to Chanyeol move around the room, before he leaves with his dog. When he peeks at them from behind the curtains, the sun has still not risen, but Chanyeol is playing fetch with Candy.

Baekhyun discards his sweatshirt in favour of a lighter one, before he leaves the room. The temperature outside is much better, compared to the suffocating heat inside the motel. He sits on the stairs, turning down Chanyeol's offer to join them, and simply enjoys the world slowly being coloured by sunlight. At some point, Chanyeol joins him. Their shoulders and knees bump comfortably against as each other as they tease Candy.

 

Fushi is a small town, something out of a story book, with vibrant flowers and small lanterns hung everywhere for the Spring Festival. The place is filled with tourists. Chanyeol leaves to reserve a room for them while Baekhyun explores the place with Candy on her leash. She's excited with so many people around, and Baekhyun is dragged around, surprised by her strength. He now understands why Chanyeol has a hard time with her. 

"People are bad. Why do you like them so much?" Baekhyun asks as he tries to direct Candy another way, but the dog has her eyes set on a girl at a trinket stall. "No, Candy. No. Bad. Bad."

"Finally!" Chanyeol halts right next to Baekhyun, looking slightly frazzled and out of breath. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"You found me," Baekhyun replies perkily, stumbling as Candy suddenly changes direction and starts towards a small family.

"Candy!" Chanyeol's fingers brush against Baekhyun, and he might as well have been a child with how small his hands look next to Chanyeol's. He takes away the leash, grabbing Candy by her collar and forcing her down. "Sit!" She whines, obeying but looking at her owner with all the hurt a dog can manage. "She gets so excitable around people, it's hard to handle sometimes."

Baekhyun laughs pleasantly. That's how they met after all.

"Let's stick close from now on. If we get separated, I would have a hard time looking for someone as tiny as you." Baekhyun balks at the jab. Chanyeol crouches down to scratch around Candy's scruff. "You look after him well, ok?" She grumbles pleasantly in response. 

Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol must be a saint for putting up with a shit like him. He wouldn't trust himself considering the circumstances, but the elder does. He wonders what lets Chanyeol's heart expand so much. Perhaps it's simple stupidity and really nothing deep at all. 

They spend a good part of the day loitering, tasting local delicacies and going over the schedule of events. Chanyeol spends the afternoon strumming his guitar whilst Baekhyun takes a nap with Candy pressed to his side.

By evening, the place is brimming with life, stalls alight and music filling the space. Baekhyun internally debates over the usefulness of a festival to welcome summer and wonders why it is called the 'Spring Festival' instead of 'Stupid Summer'.

An old lady tries to fool them into believing that her special recipe can only be prepared in the light of the full summer moon, and Baekhyun tries to stifle his laughter while Chanyeol listens to her explanation with interest. He diverts his attention to another stall that seems to be doing really well, bombarded by people that have coloured powder splattered over them. It looks fun that Baekhyun buys coloured powders too.

Chanyeol is amused by the items as he nibbles on the cake the old woman sold him. "What are you going to do with them?" He points at the packets. 

"Obviously, this." He tears one open, collecting a handful of bright orange before he throws it straight at Chanyeol's face. He blinks dumbly for a few seconds, stunned at the soft particles invading his nostrils and fine grain falling off his lashes. His eyes remain the only parts of his face not coloured orange. While he's still gathering his bearings, Baekhyun has already emptied the remaining packet, and Chanyeol is turned into an orange beacon from the front.

Suddenly, Chanyeol lunges at him. Baekhyun jumps out of his reach, laughing, Candy's protesting whines going to deaf ears, before he turns around to escape. Baekhyun has either too much faith in himself or too little in Chanyeol's legs, because he'd forgotten how the man towers over him. His large hands grab the back of Baekhyun's shirt, eliciting a surprised yelp, before one of his arms is around Baekhyun's waist, pressing him back into Chanyeol's chest. His other hand goes to snatch the coloured powders from him.

Like fools in their own world, they blindly throw fistfuls of powder at each other, colouring themselves rainbow, spitting out bits that their tongue catch when they laugh, and blinking away grain that hits their eyes. Candy is an innocent casualty, with a green and yellow coat and a blue head. 

When Baekhyun's hands are empty, Chanyeol's holds him in a headlock, dragging his fingers down his face to draw purple rivulets. Baekhyun retaliates by punching him in the gut.

"Stop grinning like that, you look like a lunatic," Baekhyun says as they wash their hands and clean their faces. Chanyeol shows all of his teeth, and on his powder-covered, multi-coloured face, they shine white and bright. "Idiot."

When the stage lights come on, they join the crowd, sitting down on the grass. The show starts off with an emcee narrating the town history and the significance of the festival in their beliefs. This is where Baekhyun feels a breath of cold air hit the back of his ear, feels his stomach drop, and his blood turning to ice. He gets up and heads back to the hotel they're staying at, because despite the coldness that surrounds him, he feels anger bubbling in his head. His hands tremble from a mixture of both. 

On his way back, he sees the performers standing nervously and wonders if the rituals here are anything similar to where he comes from. One of the young girls is dressed extravagantly, standing close to a palanquin while someone fixes the flowers in her hair. His stomach churns uncomfortably as a word rings in his head the more he keeps his eyes on her. 

_Sacrifice._

She turns around to reveal a backless top, and a very large tattoo inked on her back -flowers, leaves and wines growing around a scepter. Baekhyun is so engrossed with the drawing he doesn't notice Candy step in front of him until he stumbles over her.

A large hand wraps around his elbow before he's hoisted up and on his feet. Chanyeol looms over him, looking ridiculous with splotches of colors in his hair and on his neck, eyebrows furrowed and lips stretched thin. "I was calling you."

"Oh," Baekhyun looks down to see if Candy is alright. He's always stumbling over the dog, and he wonders if Candy is just as clueless about the mechanics of her limbs as Chanyeol pretends to be. "I didn't hear."

"You're not going to watch the program?" He tilts his head towards the stage, where the lights have dimmed and dancers are coming on. Baekhyun keeps his eyes away from the center of attention, looking instead at the audience, sprinkled randomly with colored heads that look like aliens.

He shakes his head. "I didn't know they'd do these kind of things."

"What kind of things?" Chanyeol asks, eyes widening slightly. 

"Nothing. I just- I don't like it here." Candy whines, nudging her nose between Baekhyun's legs. Chanyeol looks down at her with a small frown. 

"Baekhyun, was there someone that made you uncomfortable?" He edges closer, more to the side so Baekhyun's view of the show is blocked by his broad shoulders. He shakes his head. 

"I just don't like these things. If I'd known, I wouldn't have agreed to come here," he answers, turning around to slowly make his way back to their room.

With four walls surrounding him, separating him from music, dances, and _beliefs,_ Baekhyun feels a little at ease. He's quick to jump under the shower, watching streams of colors drain away. It makes him feel lighter, like the duties have been washed off him and down the drain - where they belong.

Life is excitable, unpredictable, and he has freedom like he had never thought possible. But it's lonely, too. There's no one he can rely on, no one to watch his back, to ask about him, to look out for him. He jumps at the sight of his shadow, and cowers from voices that bring back memories of his home.

Chanyeol brought a warmth he didn't think he was missing, and when he tries to imagine himself without the other's company, he feels a little lost. He curses Chanyeol for this because he was just fine without him. Now he's so used to the other's constant presence, he doesn't want to part from it. 

Without a low voice beating against his ear dreams, Baekhyun thinks it'll be a little harder to stay afloat. The voice never gives him any direction, but it gives him motivation and a feeling of safety. It's a small blanket of companionship and care he's never received before. Chanyeol's company is something he's quickly grown to adore, and he wants to keep it. 

He isn't the ultimate saviour, or his knight in shining armour, but he's a presence that's nice to have around. Someone that makes him feel like living is a blessing, and there are people worth living for. They haven't spent much time together, but the time they have counts for years worth of Baekhyun's memories put together. His gut tells him that Chanyeol is the kind of person who would reach for his hand in the nothingness of a vacuum. His hand would be the one to take his and keep him company in any maze.

Chanyeol came as candlelight. Now he's wildfire. Bright, consuming and everywhere.

He suddenly realizes that perhaps Chanyeol thinks of him the same way. 

Perhaps Chanyeol is also lonely, but unlike Baekhyun, he's been alone for a long time. Perhaps Candy is his only true company, and maybe his endless patience comes from the need to keep Baekhyun close. Perhaps he is also running away, but he is running from the feeling of isolation. He did say he wanted a break from his life. A pause to run away to something different.

Perhaps he readily takes Baekhyun's hand to hold onto companionship, just as Baekhyun readily takes his to keep his freedom and explore the world. 

It's a two-way street, and they're both making good use of each other. 

Or maybe Baekhyun is over thinking everything again.

 

By the time he steps out of the bathroom, he's sure he's used up half the hotel's water supply. He's sleepy and unsteady on his feet, dripping water all over the carpet. His skin is wrinkled and he hasn't been this clean in a while. He feels lighter than he's ever felt before, but at the same time an odd and different sort of weight settles onto him.

The sound of fireworks and loud cheers steer him back to the present world, just as the door clicks open and Chanyeol enters. 

"You're still awake?" He tries to mute his surprise.

"Did you have fun?" Baekhyun asks, instead. 

"It was interesting," He kicks off his shoes. "They say the next two days are only going to get better."

Baekhyun's jaw drops open. "Two days? The festival lasts for another two days?" Chanyeol nods, surprised that Baekhyun hadn't noticed even though it's clearly mentioned on the flyers. "I can't stay here that long." He can easily picture the Kia Besta with a large Phoenix poster at the back, casually parking outside the hotel. He feels the hair on his arms stand upright. Run.

Baekhyun sighs loudly. "I guess we'll be splitting ways tomorrow."

Chanyeol jerks, almost getting a whiplash from how quickly he turns his head to give Baekhyun a wide-eyed look. "Is there..." His eyes search for Candy, finding her tail peeking out from the side of Baekhyun's bed. "Is something wrong?"

"Like I said, I can't stay here too long," Baekhyun replies before he picks up his backpack and starts looking through it. He hasn't taken much out; there was nothing worth taking out. The switchblade, almost forgotten, hides snugly in the front pocket, out of sight but easy to reach. Most, if not all, the scattered things around the room belong to Chanyeol.

He seats himself on Baekhyun's bed, watching the younger check his things. "Candy is really special," he starts. Baekhyun agrees, mumbling how friendly she is. "Even as a dog, she's really unique." He lightly knocks his heel against Baekhyun's thigh, making sure he's listening. Baekhyun protests about shoes, but he's always attentive. "Animals are sensitive to human emotions, too, did you know?" It's a rhetorical question. "Candy is drawn to fear. When she feels it, she runs to that person. More than people, she's attracted to their feelings. Does this sound strange to you?"

Baekhyun looks at the German Shepherd lying asleep on her side. He looks up at Chanyeol, holding his gaze, "I call bullshit."

"No, really!" Chanyeol jumps in his spot. "The first time when we met, Candy came to you. What were you thinking about?"

"I don't know? _'What's a dog doing at my table?_ '" 

"You're getting defensive." He raises his finger only for Baekhyun to slap it away in denial. "The way Candy sticks to you, it makes me believe you're more than just a wanderer."

"So what if I am?" Baekhyun's face hardens, and Chanyeol's softens.

"I'm not going to corner you," he says carefully, "Baekhyun, did you run away?" The younger zips up his bag with more force than necessary. "Are you in some sort of trouble? Do you owe someone money?" He receives no answer, watches instead as Baekhyun stomps into the bathroom to collect his toiletries. "Is it loan sharks? Are you being forced into a contract? Marriage?" 

"No. No. _No! No!_ " Baekhyun raises his voice as he goes. "Stop asking when there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Tell me what it is, maybe I can help-" He's cut off by Baekhyun's shrill hollow laughter. 

"You?" He laughs again, "A bank note from some big shit city?" He marches forward, and Chanyeol recoils, thinking he's about to be hit, but Baekhyun only snatches his backpack and retreats to the other side of the room, haphazardly throwing his things in. "What would you know about small town problems?" 

"Where do you plan to go?"

"Anywhere. Just away. Out of the fucking country, maybe?" He grits his teeth. "Yea. Out of the country."

"How will you manage that?" Chanyeol sits up, alert. His face clearly says Baekhyun is raving mad and his plan is a fool's dream. The problem is, Baekhyun knows it.

"I don't know, maybe I'll smuggle in with traffickers?" Chanyeol tries to add in a word before Baekhyun cuts him off. "You don't know anything about me or my situation, so please just _shut up_!"

"I won't know until you tell me."

"I would tell you, if I knew you could do something about it," he snaps back. "But you can't, Chanyeol. You can't. Nobody can."

The room is silent except for their breathing. Chanyeol opens his mouth a few times but chooses not to say anything. He passes Baekhyun and locks the bathroom after himself. The sound of things tumbling to the floor resounds loudly and Baekhyun jumps, heart hammering. Candy also jerks awake from her sleep. He decides against calling out for Chanyeol, simply listening as the shower turns on. Candy pads over to him, hovering her nose around his jaw in a soothing gesture. He resists the strong urge to call her a traitor.

Now would be a good time to leave, Baekhyun thinks, the best probably. No halfhearted goodbyes, explanations, or sentimental words to hold him back. He cut off his family, for fuck's sake, this should be a piece of cake. He just needs to put on his bag, turn around and walk out. It takes seconds. It would take seconds.

He grabs his bag, dumps it by the foot of his bed and lets himself fall face down on the mattress. The room is silent, only Candy's paws pattering lightly on the carpet, the shower running, and his own deep breathing. He feels tears prickling his eyes and guffaws at himself, at the ridiculousness of everything. 

It's past sundown, past his curfew. He should be standing on the road by now, trying to flag down every vehicle that passes. 

The bathroom lock clicks loudly. Baekhyun looks over to see a red faced Chanyeol peeking out, "Forgot my... stuff." He steps out with a towel held tightly at the front. Baekhyun bolts upright, nearly falling off the bed.

"What's that!" He's surprised at how hysterical he sounds. Both Candy and Chanyeol get alerted, the elder looking at the wall behind himself. "No! You, moron, you!" He stumbles as he gets off the bed, arms shaking, knees wobbling and he feels uncoordinated as he steps closer to a frazzled Chanyeol. "You're a dead man walking." He finally murmurs, looking away from Chanyeol's chest and up at his face. 

Chanyeol brings his hand over his front, the other still gripping the towel, as if trying to hide himself. Baekhyun can _feel_ Chanyeol's discomfort, but he truly doesn't care. His eyes are too busy tracing the lines spread all over Chanyeol's chest. All curves, circles and waves, coiled carefully around each other and collecting at the singular center of the design - The Light; a mixture between the Sun and Polaris, with four points reaching outwards like the pointers of a compass, nestled among many smaller spikes. 

It's oddly ironic that the mark symbolizes hope, reaching out, giving, when all it has ever symbolized to Baekhyun is being trapped, hollow and alone, just like the circle at the center of it all.

"How are you alive?" Baekhyun whispers. "How did you get away?"

"What?" Chanyeol's ears are tinged, a warm flush spreads over his chest.

"This is it!" Baekhyun points right at the center, the most simple element of the entire design. "This is the reason I'm running away." Chanyeol tips his head, chin touching the dip between his collar bones as he looks down at the drawing on his skin. "You're another sacrifice." He sounds awed as he speaks, "Did you do this to hide the mark?"

"Baekhyun-"

"Stop pretending, _damn it!_ " Baekhyun steps back, "I have this fucking curse on me too!" He raises his shirt, and all Chanyeol sees is smooth flat skin. Baekhyun grunts, embarrassed, because his body is lanky compared to Chanyeol's. Where Chanyeol's skin is pulled taut over his muscles, Baekhyun's body is pale skin and protruding ribs. He lowers his shirt so Chanyeol can see exactly what he wants him to.

Wide-eyed, he drops to his knees as soon as he notices it; a small symbol which rests under Baekhyun's naval, half hidden by the waistband of his undergarments. Chanyeol looks up questioningly. Baekhyun slightly lowers his jeans and undergarments, so the full symbol becomes visible. 

Chanyeol looks like he's stopped breathing. His hands reach up, as if about to touch the symbol, before he thinks better of it. Baekhyun feels Chanyeol's warm breath ghost over his skin, burning the mark, as he tries and fails to voice his words. He's in shock and disbelief, looking over the details of the symbol, over and over, as if making sure it's really there.

Some stray drops hit his toes from the elder's dripping hair, and Chanyeol is pretty much naked, on his knees, in front of Baekhyun. He seems to realize it too, the warm color returning to his face. He quickly excuses himself, picks clothes from his gurney and retreats to the bathroom.

Baekhyun goes back to lay down on his bed. He doesn't feel capable of standing anymore. His heart is fluttering in his chest. _Him too. Him too._ And Baekhyun wonders: _How?_

It also means that Baekhyun can survive. If Chanyeol managed to stay alive this long, even get a job, an education, friends, his own goddamn car, then Baekhyun can have it all too. Him, too.

"Tell me about it," Chanyeol says as soon as he's dressed, sitting on his bed, directly opposite Baekhyun.

"The tribe I come from worships the god of the temple of the Sun." Baekhyun starts immediately, feels his throat dry up though he's barely started. "There's some fucked up tradition," he frowns as he continues, "that anyone born with the symbol of Light on their body is a property of god, and must be returned to him. Guess who won the lottery?" He laughs lightly, either at the people he comes from, or himself; he's unsure.

"I've seen that- that symbol," Chanyeol starts, his brows furrowing, "I've read about it, too, somewhere. I didn't know these kind of tribes still survived." His eyes dip down to Baekhyun's stomach where the mark is hidden under his shirt. "It's very intricate for a birthmark."

"Property of god and all the jazz - who's a statue, just so we're clear," Baekhyun says. "They're supposed to cut out the mark and plant it inside the temple garden." 

"I thought the sacrifices were burned at the temple, at sundown," Chanyeol wonders, "they were supposed to be kept burning till sunrise, a sort of light guiding the followers through the darkness, to a new time of prosperity. Something like that."

"It's the only time the tribe stays awake throughout the night." Baekhyun confirms casually, but the apprehension lingers, visible in the small tremor of his fingers and his shifting eyes. "Usually, they sleep with the sun, and rise with it. But, you know, nothing is more interesting than a human barbeque."

"Baekhyun," Chanyeol murmurs, leaning closer, "this is _terrible_."

He shrugs. "But you know what was really funny? They tried to convince me to cut myself at the temple. Like I would just sit around and pull my own guts out." He snorts. " _For prosperity, for health, thy sacrifice,_ " Baekhyun mocks an old man's voice. "They cheat tourists! They cheat each other! Tell me not to be intimate when they're infidels. I'd kill myself so _people like that_ would prosper? I'd sooner kill one of them instead!"

"Did you report this to the police?" Chanyeol's eyebrows are pulled down, utterly immersed in Baekhyun's confession. 

Baekhyun's face falls. "My father _is_ the police. There are some other big shots, too; politicians. They come around for the sacrificial rituals only." Silence falls over them. It stays there like a heavy blanket cutting off the air supply. Both are at a loss for words. "You know what my dad gifted me on my seventeenth birthday?" His face hardens, but his eyes fill with tears. "He gifted me death. He said no college, no leaving, no nothing. He expected me to sit at home and wait to be butchered."

Chanyeol sits next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him close. "You're out of that place now."

"I'm not," Baekhyun gasps, "every day when I wake up, I'm afraid I'd find out I'm still in my own bed, and running away was only a dream." His fists tighten above his knees as he takes in a deep breath. "I'm smarter than my brother. I'm better than him, better than half the idiots in town. But instead of fighting for me, they just- _they let me go_. I'm their son. How can they just accept this for me? For what? For something that doesn't exist?" 

His grandmother's words come back to haunt him: _Everybody loves stories, and everybody loves to be a part of them. Your's a sad one, though, isn't it?_ He absently nods his head. If she'd been alive until he'd found out about being the sacrifice - _the greatest story of the century!_ \- he would have went to her for help, for advice. He'd have run away with her. He'd have readily taken a bullet in the head for her. 

She wasn't killed for blasphemy. She was killed for speaking the truth. They're all nuts. They eat lies, bathe and breathe it. And they keep the line of idiocy running, because what better way to make someone accept their circumstances than blaming it on some invisible deity?

 _Every person is god, Baekhyun._ She always gave him a cookie before she spoke, making sure his mouth was full of sweets as she talked about bitter things. _There is no upper being. It's only this world, here and now, and the beautiful things in it._ Funny how she always talked about that after the morning prayers, after singing praises to the Phoenix, and promising eternal devotion to him. _No one decides things for us. We decide them for ourselves._

_Tomorrow, you'll have to decide, too, and don't you ever let anyone do it for you._

"You have the symbol of Light on you. Are you also from some sister tribe?" Baekhyun rubs his puffy eyes, clearing away the gathering tears.

"Mine isn't a birthmark," the corner of Chanyeol's lips twitches upward into something akin to a bitter smile. "I have no memory of when I got it."

"It's a fucking huge ass tattoo that covers your entire chest!" Baekhyun accuses. 

"I remember very few things from before college, I'm sorry." He swallows. "I had an accident and got amnesia. Candy is ..." He sighs, "She was a service dog for me."

Baekhyun gapes at him. 

For all he knows the practitioners _-murders, savages, barbaric beasts-_ of the temple might have tattoos like those. What he knows is that those born with The Light are destined to die. Chanyeol wasn't born with it, unlike him. It was drawn on. 

This might even be a death penalty for Baekhyun, a sign that _they're_ never going to be too far, that _they_ will find him soon. He still has time. Everything will expire when he turns eighteen. Everything will expire when he becomes _impure_. There's still time. 

For a statue, Baekhyun ponders sarcastically, god sure knows how to rile people up.

 

Chanyeol looks like he hasn't had a wink of sleep. Baekhyun would have offered to drive for the first foot of the journey, but he hasn't had much sleep either, spending the night staring at Chanyeol's back. When his eyes finally droop, Chanyeol is shaking him awake, telling him to get his stuff. Chanyeol has already signed them out, handing Baekhyun a paper bag full of warm sandwiches for breakfast. 

Baekhyun doesn't question where or who he got them from, since the reception desk is empty, everyone seems asleep, and the sun is only rising as they're getting into the car. Chanyeol guides Candy into the cabin, and she's excited to be out in the open again. 

Baekhyun settles the warm paper bag on his lap, watches as soft winds sway the white Chrysanthemums in the flower beds at the parking lot. They remind him of grandmother's funeral. He was the only one who visited her. His father had hit him afterward. _You of all people?_

A wire of fairy lights around a lamp post blinks before it shuts down in defeat. Baekhyun looks up at the sky, littered with wisps of grey clouds and painted purple, the pink from the sun barely fighting the last of the night. 

Chanyeol tells him to buckle up before he guns the engine. The car stays idle in the lot, Chanyeol's hand tight on the wheel and his mind far away. He mutters something under his breath before he finally reverses and gets them out of the hotel, and out of town. Baekhyun leans his head against the window as they speed on the empty stretch of the infinite road. The sandwiches are still warm on his lap, but he has no appetite. 

 

Baekhyun jerks awake with a gasp. 

He can't remember falling asleep.

The car is stopped by the side of the road, driver's door wide open, as well as the back door. He twists his neck around to find Candy gone.

"Chanyeol?" he calls out. His fingers tremble as he tries to undo his seat belt. "Candy!" he calls louder, trying to calm his frantic heartbeat. "Fuck this!" The belt clicks open and he jumps out as if a bomb is strapped under his seat. "Chanyeol! Candy!"

A bark directs his feet. He turns around to see Candy on the opposite side of the road. She barks again, her tail wagging incessantly, asking him to join her. The grass is tall, almost reaching his knees, and its coarse and dry. Candy lowers her head, sniffing around before she chases some rodent Baekhyun can't see. Further away, he sees Chanyeol sitting with his back to the road, his knees pulled up to his chest. He trudges over to him when the elder doesn't respond to his repeated shouts.

"Yo, asshole!" Chanyeol abruptly turns around, surprised to find company. "Now, you hear me!" Baekhyun says, exasperated. "I've been calling for you like a broken record."

"I didn't hear you, sorry." He gets to his feet, patting away the soil from his pants, "Back on the road then?"

"I can't believe you left the car just like that." _I can't believe you left me just like that._

"It was getting stuffy," He replies morosely. He calls out for Candy, and she happily bounds over to them. "It was good for Candy, too. She needs to let out all that energy." Candy takes a spot between the two, keeping in step with them. 

"Where are you going, next?" Baekhyun picks the map off the dash, fanning himself as Chanyeol starts the engine. When Chanyeol responds, Baekhyun unfolds the paper and starts looking for the stop, frowning when he locates it. "It's off the route."

"I'm taking you to the border."

Baekhyun doesn't know how to respond. He puts the map down and stares ahead. He isn't sure what he'll find on Chanyeol's face if he looks at him. He isn't sure what he wants to find on Chanyeol's face.

"Why are you doing this?" He's grateful, might be eternally grateful, but he wants to know Chanyeol's intentions. What does he gain from all of this? There's nothing Baekhyun can give him in return.

"Nobody deserves what you've been through." Chanyeol doesn't look at him either, but it's good, he shouldn't. His eyes should stay on the road. "The world is too big, life is too short, and no one has the right to cut it even shorter. You did the right thing."

Silence is their companion for several moments, which stretches into an uncomfortable hour. There seems to be a shortage of air to breathe inside the cabin. 

Baekhyun realizes it's so suffocating because Chanyeol is silent. 

 

Later at a filling station, Baekhyun spots a poster for an outdoor rock music festival. Candy runs around the place and when Chanyeol comes out with his purchase of food, he finds Baekhyun glued to the poster.

"You want to go?" He steps beside the younger, looking for the date and venue. 

"Is there any time?" It's not a negative.

"You make time for these things, and besides, Sinawe is going to perform, as well." Chanyeol taps his finger on the venue. "That's a small detour, but no regrets. You're going to love it."

"Living life." Baekhyun holds up a determined fist. Chanyeol mocks his stance. Baekhyun has no idea who Shinawe is, but if Chanyeol promises it to be fun, it must be.

They check into a motel around late afternoon and spend the remaining day there. Chanyeol knocks out as soon as he hits the bed. Baekhyun is the one slipping his shoes off and adjusting him properly on the bed, so he doesn't wake up uncomfortable. He sits for a while, wondering if it's alright to take a peek under the elder's clothes and see if he can make something out of the tattoo. It almost sounds like a poor excuse to see him naked. Baekhyun lets himself fall back onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

That evening, Baekhyun gets his first sip of cold beer. It's bitter, parches his tongue and makes his throat burn uncomfortably. He feels it as it trickles down into his stomach. Baekhyun doubts he can take more than a few sips, but he does succeed in emptying the can and is hiccupping afterwards. 

"That was awful." He lets the can slip, watching it roll under Chanyeol's bed. His body is warmer than the room and is pleasantly buzzing. He needs some time to connect words in his head to make proper sentences. "Never drinking it ... again ... I think."

"First timer's dilemma," Chanyeol chuckles as he raises his second one towards Baekhyun in an unvoiced 'cheers!'. The other pouts and complains about his stomach feeling like it's digesting itself. 

Baekhyun does end up taking another can. And another half. He's not sure if he drinks more after that, or if he drinks anything after the first can itself, or finishes any at all. He remembers his head becoming woozy, though, and his stomach warning him. He remembers throwing up a bit, running outside instead of the joint bathroom, because apparently you're not supposed to drink so much on an empty stomach. 

Sadly, he still remembered what his name was, what he was running away from and that he bawled like a banshee before sleep overtook him. Worst of all, he remembered Chanyeol's eyes on him throughout, burning and intense. He saw the lights behind his head morph into something resembling lazily flickering flames. Or maybe it was alcohol getting to his head, because the world kept tipping off balance, and Chanyeol kept fading out of focus.

 

Chanyeol is unusually quiet, has been since he's heard Baekhyun's little back story and it worries Baekhyun. He feels Chanyeol stealing glances at him, catching him before they both turn away.

"So, on a scale of one to ten, how bad do you feel for me?" Baekhyun asks when the car slows to a stop at the arranged parking area.

Chanyeol crosses his arms on the steering wheel and rests his chin on top, staring at his reflection on the windshield. "Pretty bad, I guess. Awful, really." 

"When you say it like that it makes me feel like I don't have long to live," Baekhyun teases. He twists around in his seat to attach Candy's leash to her collar. She yips pleasantly when he kisses her snout. 

Baekhyun loves the dog already. What is he going to do when he sees the last of her? Of Chanyeol? He already feels the connection strengthening between them, all because of their fucking tribes. The irony of it amuses Baekhyun to no end. _Run. Run. Run._ Now he wants to run into Chanyeol's arms.

"Live life," Chanyeol mumbles, raising his fist with no real enthusiasm. Candy makes up for it with a wagging tail and barking laughter.

"You're acting like you're the one dying." Baekhyun rolls his eyes before he hops out, Candy right on his heels. He hears the door slam from the driver's side before Chanyeol's shadow is looming over him. 

"No one's dying," Chanyeol chastises before he adds firmly, "Stay close to me."

They could hear the music from afar, and if the endless lines of vans weren't clue enough, the laser lights certainly were, seen from even miles away. 

"This is like the party of the year!" Baekhyun exclaims. He looks around and everyone's excitement rubs off on him. He's bouncing next to Chanyeol as they walk around, Candy mirroring his enthusiasm. The real concert hasn't started yet, and the DJ keeps everyone entertained with his tracks. "Do you think they have something to drink?" When Chanyeol points towards a few beverage stands, Baekhyun rephrases, emphasizing _'drink'_.

Chanyeol's eyes turn round at the request. "I sure hope not," he says. The crowd is all young, most of them look like juvenile punks and he can see a lot of things going awry with alcohol involved.

Baekhyun clicks his tongue, his face a painting of disappointment. 

Chanyeol's hand curls around his elbow, keeping him within reach and sight as he looks back towards the parking area. "Candy's right here." Baekhyun informs, holding up the leash.

"I know. Just- I've never brought her to a place like this before." Chanyeol says. Baekhyun tries to slip his arm free but Chanyeol's grip readjusts. "Stay close."

"Okay, dad." Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "You're practically dwarfing everyone here. I'll come looking for a totem pole if we get separated."

"I'm not really that tall," The elder looks down at him, almost mockingly. Baekhyun murmurs an insult that Chanyeol ignores. "It would have been easier if you had a pager or something."

"I'll buy one in China." He pats his arm, has a sudden feel of developed biceps before he quickly pulls his hand to his side. It's somewhat demoralizing that Chanyeol has a better build than him, and it prods his ego in all the wrong ways. 

Suddenly, all his attention is focused on the feeling of Chanyeol's skin on his. It was warm before, but now it's burning. Baekhyun tries to shake the elder's hand off, receiving a bewildered look from him. Chanyeol looks more or less freaked out, throwing cautious looks behind them and his eyes dart towards everyone in the crowd. Chanyeol lets his fingers loose, and Baekhyun takes the opportunity to slip away his arm and clasp their hands together instead. "Better. Hurts less." He raises their joined hands and smiles, leaving out _burns more._

By the end of the hour, Baekhyun is drunk on another kind of feeling. He flows with the mood of the crowd, hollering, clapping, jumping, cheering and let's himself be pushed around just as he pushes back with boisterous laughter. He sees some annoyed faces directed towards him, but they're gone with the next flickering of the light, eaten away by the crowd and consumed by darkness. He loses Chanyeol and Candy, too, though he's little concerned about that. 

They agreed to meet up later at the parking lot.

Baekhyun stopped turning around at the random groping and pinches quite some time ago - half of them mistaken touches for one friend or another. He was even pulled around before the girl realized he was not her boyfriend. Someone pushed their hand in his back pocket too, squeezing and leaving behind a note. He was pleased when he kicked the culprit as he casually tried to leave. 

Baekhyun is unsure if he's acting like he wants it, looking like he wants it or if all of this is normal. He's not complaining. Yet. 

Large hands settle on his shoulder before he feels hot breath against his ear. "Baekhyun?"

There's a strain to the voice. Baekhyun turns his head around and in the brief flash of light, confirms it's Chanyeol. He tugs the elder forward, "This is so much fun!" He has to scream to be heard. The expression on Chanyeol's face changes to a resigned one. Baekhyun grabs both his hands and swings them around. "Come on. Don't be an uncle!"

Chanyeol says something in his defense, the only words Baekhyun catches are college parties, and he really doesn't care about that, because he's never going to be attending college. "Your choice!" He lets go of Chanyeol and steps back, trying to disappear among the people. Chanyeol easily pulls him back, and a push from someone sends him barreling hard into his chest. He laughs it off, ignoring Chanyeol's grip on his waist. He accidently kicks the other's shin, too, and laughs harder.

"Are you high on something?" Chanyeol screams next to his ear. Baekhyun takes in his lower lip with his teeth, wondering if it's okay to mess with the guy some more. He rapidly shakes his head but the look on Chanyeol's face says he doesn't believe him.

Chanyeol holds his hand tightly, guiding him towards the back where the crowd is lighter. Baekhyun is awed at how many people have gathered by now. He's even more amazed at the time that's passed, because it felt like thirty minutes, but he's been dancing around for over two hours. 

The exhaustion finally begins to drain into him. He represses a yawn, clinging to Chanyeol's side as they make their way back to the car.

He wonders how far in he got separated from Chanyeol, and how the other managed to find him. He should probably only be grateful Chanyeol didn't leave him behind, because it only occurs to him now that Chanyeol appeared miffed when he'd found him.

"I guess you didn't have any fun," Baekhyun says ruefully, "Thanks, though."

"This was the first time you ever went to a concert, right?"

"We have a lot of concerts at town, just not quite like this." He grins, looking over his shoulder at the flashy stage. "They're very _god_ driven, geared towards old farts." An eye roll accompanies the comment.

"And you've attended them?" Chanyeol asks jokingly. 

"I performed in them." He deadpans, "Though I'd prefer performances like those." He points to the side where people are standing on their car roof, hollering, a few dancing, and just being wild. Once Chanyeol gets over the shock, he seems rather interested in the prospect.

Candy is dozing off in the cabin. Baekhyun coos at her, brushing his fingers through her fur. "Princess is exhausted."

When they're belted, Chanyeol keys the ignition and then sits back with his hands on the wheel, the car unmoving. Baekhyun doesn't question him, even when he turns the engine off again and stares ahead at the wild group of friends, not really looking at them.

"I have to show you something," he finally mutters. A shaky breath leaves him as he hooks his fingers under his shirt, gives Baekhyun a short glance, before he pulls his shirt over his head. The younger is soaking in the sight of the tattoos, still trying to understand the meaning of them, when Chanyeol twists his back towards him and Baekhyun stops breathing.

He reaches over to flick on the dome light, and he wishes he hadn't because his heart lurches harshly in his chest, threatening to drop down and stop altogether.

Baekhyun is conflicted between running out the car and kicking Chanyeol out.

"What is this?" He barely hears his own voice over the beating of his heart, but Chanyeol seems to have heard him perfectly fine. The muscles ripple under his skin as he shifts his position, looking over to him. 

"Don't you know?"

Baekhyun does. All too well. And once again, Chanyeol leaves him mystified. 

His tribesmen have a small Phoenix tattooed on the back, resting on the top of the spine, right below the neck. It's a small simple mark, no bigger than an inch and shows their perpetual bond to their religion. Baekhyun has one hidden under his collar.  
.  
Chanyeol though, takes the cake because the Phoenix on his back looks like the motherfucking king of all the Phoenix tattoos he's seen. His upper back is covered by the god, wings fully spread out in flight and flames spreading out towards his shoulders, ending at the joint of his arms. The feathers of the Phoenix's tail follow the lining of his spine, ending below his waist, and the symbol of Light covers it's stomach. The same symbol as the one below Baekhyun's naval.

"You're one of the guardians," Baekhyun breathes out, burying his face in his hands. 

The guardians, the _slaves_ , of the temple have slightly different tattoos. He's heard about the design but never seen one. They are said to be more majestic, detailed, larger, and have more colours. Probably exactly like Chanyeol's.

"Does this mean we belong to the same clan, or something?" Chanyeol asks. Baekhyun sighs heavily. He verily observes the design, keeping his eyes away from the Phoenix's face. He can _feel_ the beady red eyes boring into him. 

_He is everywhere._ How ironic is it, that the god's drawing is on the person Baekhyun is running away with.

The symbol of Light on the Phonix's stomach is an exact replica of the one under Baekhyun's naval. He observes it closely, hoping it can have one lesser spike, or morph into something else, so that Chanyeol doesn't become connected to him, but it stays the same.

"I've heard about the sacrificial killings here and there, but I didn't think they still happened."

"Well, maybe if you fulfill your duty and turn me back, you can be a firsthand witness to manslaughter." Baekhyun snaps.

"I didn't mean to say I didn't believe you," Chanyeol adds quickly, "I want you to trust me. I mean to help you."

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a cardiac seizure any minute now, thanks for the help, Chanyeol."

"Baekhyun, I wouldn't hurt you, ever." He speaks softly, as if afraid of having him retreat further. Baekhyun frowns, scrutinizing him. "I have no reason to hurt you."

"You really don't remember anything from before your accident?"

"Nothing at all," Chanyeol assures. His eyes flick towards the sleeping dog. "It's just been me and Candy since forever." 

"Don't you want to go back and find out more about yourself?" Baekhyun asks.

"I think I know enough," he looks away, "I'm not interested in mingling with people. Their close mindedness bothers me. The followers of the Phoenix were never known for being generous, anyway." Baekhyun is surprised at the comment. "They only took up the destructive aspect of fire. They never saw how it could be beautiful and helpful."

"Because it's not." Baekhyun argues.

"That's your ignorance," Chanyeol says, "that's where you were derailed."

"I can't remember anyone putting their hand to a fire and enjoying it," he frowns.

"Isn't it fire that cooks your food, and mends your metals? Isn't it fire that burns your Sun? It lights the way for you, it runs machinery for you, it gives you warmth. Would man be this far without having found fire?

They only taught you how dangerous the Phoenix and his element is, because it's in human nature to want to spread fear and keep all the good to oneself. No one thanks _him_ for all that he's done for them. Everyone wants more. Human beings are insatiable." Chanyeol scoffs, "the true devotees of the Phoenix left the tribe. Left behind were power hungry worshippers. They control you all through fear, don't they?"

Baekhyun jumps in fright when Candy suddenly pushes her head between their seats. She whines, nipping Chanyeol's arm. He suddenly looks apologetic, scratching her, and muttering under his breath. 

"You know your past." Baekhyun states. 

"Pardon?"

"You can't know so much about our tribe, unless you're in it. We're tightlipped people." Chanyeol shakes his head tiredly.

"No. I'm not from your tribe. I don't think I'd be able to stand it, if I were."

"At least we float the same boat." Baekhyun murmurs. "Are you one of the ex-devotees, then? Did someone from your family leave the tribe? Someone from your ancestors?"

"I've never been told." Chanyeol shrugs. "There's no point in asking me because I don't remember, either. I honestly want nothing to do with people of any tribe."

"We're loathsome," Baekhyun slumps back in his seat. He stares openly at the ink on Chanyeol's skin; designs that must mean something, with the way they curl around the Light.

"Not you, though."

His gaze flicks up from skin to eyes. 

When a stray beam from stage passes them, Chanyeol's head is surrounded by a corona of red. Baekhyun closes his eyes, pushing away memories of masses going to pray at sunset, orange light encasing them, and the white stone of the temple looking like amber rock.

Baekhyun leans his forehead against the dashboard, sweat trickling down his jaw. He rubs his fingers over the mark on his skin, trying to think what connection Chanyeol could have to his tribe. 

Tattoos on both his front and his back. The Light right over his heart, and on the belly of the Phoenix. No one in the tribe has the symbol of Light, except the sacrifice: Baekhyun.

He feels Chanyeol shift in his seat, and when he looks up again, Chanyeol has put his shirt back on.

The silence between them is punctured by their weary sighs and the loud music from the concert.

Chanyeol informs him of a commission he's put through a friend. Baekhyun is going to leave the country with a new ID, fake paperwork, maybe a completely new past. They're going to have to visit the guy to get photos and signatures; he lives all the way back in Changwon. 

Baekhyun thinks it's too much. Chanyeol thinks a human life is worth more. 

He's apprehensive about the plan though, because tensions are high, internally and externally. Border security is tight and rigid, and if Baekhyun is caught, he's most likely to end up dead, or in an interrogation cell.

Baekhyun says he'd rather die at the hands of a uniform than his tribesmen. That concludes their conversation.

Back at the motel, Candy immediately lays down on a place of her liking and goes to sleep. Chanyeol is out as soon as he closes his eyes. Baekhyun slumps in his bed and replays the events of the day. 

He takes a look at Chanyeol, noticing his shirt has ridden up, revealing the tips of the Phoenix's tail feathers. Baekhyun is in a dilemma, wondering if he should allow himself to keep liking Chanyeol, or to start hating him for carrying such a large image of the god on his back. 

His heart decides for him. He knows he's supposed to be repulsed because of the tattoo, but he feels even more threads extending from himself towards Chanyeol, pulling them closer. He doesn't know how he's ever going to repay his kindness. Chanyeol has done more for him than anyone in his life ever did. They're practically strangers, with a thousand questions between them and hardly ten answers, but Chanyeol still keeps helping him. He's still being kind and generous. 

When they first met, Baekhyun didn't find Chanyeol attractive. He kept seeing similarities and characteristics of his town's people in Chanyeol. Now, he can't see _anything_ that links them. Chanyeol's qualities are so endearing, they make him a hundred times more attractive than any face he has seen. They make Baekhyun feel so much towards him. Thoughts like these only make more space in his heart for his companion.

On the side table, he notices a folded flyer and a pen. It's his wish list. 

He goes through it, chuckling at the 'music festival' he had added in just before leaving. 

He thinks of modifying it to an 'Achievement List'. 

 

Baekhyun wakes up to the sight of Chanyeol going through his list.

The elder places it back as soon as he notices Baekhyun awake and tries to pass it off as nothing, but his face flushes slightly.

"You're so strange," Baekhyun mumbles sleepily. 

"You're one to talk," he retorts, not unkindly. "You want to have drunken sex?" All remnants of sleep fly out the window and Baekhyun becomes fully alert. He scoffs in irritation, slapping his hand on the paper and dragging it towards himself.

"My wishes, so sue me."

"Why drunk, though?"

"I don't know." Baekhyun holds the list securely, shifting to turn his back towards the other. "It seems more fun."

"How is it fun if you might ending up puking?" Baekhyun can't see Chanyeol's face, but he can tell he's grinning. "And you might have no memory of the experience. Even if you do, there'd be holes in it, and then it doesn't remain enjoyable."

"Yeah, well, my life plans never really did have one night stands. Now that everything is fucked up, why can't I be drunk for it?" Baekhyun says morosely. "And it's not like I want it to be meaningful. I want it for the experience." 

"You don't really have to rush into it." He hears Chanyeol move around the room and pick out clothes from his bag. "When you've built a life for yourself, you should share the experience with someone special."

Somehow, Baekhyun doesn't feel he'd survive that long. He keeps his thoughts to himself though, listening to the bathroom door open and close. Candy peeks at him from the side, whining lowly. 

Baekhyun absentmindedly crushes the list in his hand, discarding it on the way out.

 

Baekhyun has never been to a big city. He's never been to any city to begin with. Ever since he turned his back to his town and started jumping all over the map, he realized what a small speck he was in such a large world. Somehow, in Changwon, he feels even smaller. The noise, the lights, the energy, it all seems to squeeze him, and he feels like he's on an entirely different planet.

He observes everything half in awe, half in admiration, laughing at the colourful advertisements on billboards. 

This time, Candy is the one with a somber mood. She sits calmly in the back seat, her ears pressed against her head and looking rather displeased.

 

The contact in Changwon has his office at the back of a dingy nightclub. Chanyeol meets his acquaintance at the front, and the two men head towards the back to discuss details while Baekhyun is left in the club to _'let loose'_. 

The environment in the club is different than the seaside carnival, Fushi Spring Festival, and even the concert. There was energy thrumming in each of these places, but the type of feeling here is somewhat ... odd. 

Baekhyun has goosebumps from the way people eye him, sight raking up and down like he's food to be admired on display. He's had a lot of unwanted hands on him in the concert as well, but it wasn't as offensive to him as it is here. Everyone here is older than him, and they can surely see that he's younger and raw.

He changes his seat when a group joins him at a booth, choosing to take a lone seat at the bar, instead. The lingering fingers and wandering hands don't stop chasing him. All Baekhyun can do is give them the stink eye and swat away any limb that stays for longer than a moment.

"New kid." The bartender grins at him as soon as he's free of the other patrons. Baekhyun smiles back weakly, biting words just on the tip of his tongue. "Here's a little something for your nerves. It's on the house." 

He knows it's a bad idea to accept whatever it is. Baekhyun is reckless, and he's broken far more rules than ever deemed acceptable, but he feels like he's toeing a dangerous line. He looks over everyone a few times to see if Chanyeol is free, yet.

The bartender has moved away to tend to another customer. In his stead is another person giving Baekhyun an amused smile. He feels like he's an animal being backed into a hunter's trap. He tentatively picks up the glass and takes a small sip. It tastes like grape, lemon, and soda. He wonders if this is a soft drink instead of alcohol. 

The glass is half empty when he spots a familiar head bobbing above all others. Baekhyun makes his way over, catching Chanyeol's elbow and allowing himself to be lead through the dense crowd into a neon lit corridor at another side of the club.

Chanyeol leans down and talks loudly beside his ear to be heard. "The guy calls himself D.O, He's been in the business for years."

Baekhyun nods. When the motion passes, he realizes he's looking at two Chanyeols instead of one. _Shit_. Thankfully they both merge into one body again. 

Baekhyun starts noticing the peculiar way his body feels.

There's an odd sort of calm that rests over him, something like a soft haze. Chanyeol's skin under his hand is comfortably warm, and Baekhyun can't help but notice how safe and relaxed he feels right now. He stumbles a bit, but he doesn't mind, because the floor is like clouds, and he can feel cool breeze brushing against his ears. The pounding music of the club is like a repressed sound in another world under his feet. Soon, he can't even feel the floor. He keeps moving his legs, though, to keep walking, even if he has no idea what direction he's heading towards. 

Oddly enough, the sight in front of him moves from right to left, like lights in traffic, and Baekhyun is waiting at a stop signal. Even stranger is Chanyeol's head that pops in front of his vision from the left. His voice is drowned out. Baekhyun can only faintly hear him saying something. His ears feel like they're clogged with wax.

It takes him another minute to realize he's not walking, but being carried by Chanyeol. His feet kick uselessly in the air, still under the illusion that Baekhyun's the one moving and not being carried. His body feels disconnected from his brain. His legs won't stop moving, even if he's commanding them to stop. Like a distant presence, he feels a twinge of fear when no part of his body responds as he wishes, but even that quickly disappears as a new feeling of lightness consumes him.

He feels like a feather floating away in a soft breeze.

All sounds abruptly stop and all the lighting suddenly changes. 

Baekhyun groans in dissatisfaction, burying himself into Chanyeol to save his eyes from being blinded by the lights. When he feels his only source of warmth gone, he snuggles into the next softest thing he feels. It could be the couch, it could be the carpet, but whatever it is, saves him from the intense lights.

Hands on his jaw turn him around and one of his eyes is forced open. Baekhyun winces, swatting the hand away with no real effort. He feels limp and helpless.

"He's blown off the fucking Earth." 

"Go away." Baekhyun tries to sound stern and menacing, but ends up whining. "Chan..."

"Here, I'm here."

"Something's wrong." He's surprised he manages to connect the few words together and that the words make actual sense. He blinks repeatedly, trying to dim the lights and reaches blindly for someone to hold onto. The hand that clasps his smaller ones is familiar, and Baekhyun sighs unconsciously. Chanyeol's face looms over his, his eyebrows furrowed in concern and lips pulled tight in disapproval. Baekhyun reaches his hand to push Chanyeol away, but his brain to motor skills still lack and he ends up jabbing the elder in the eye.

"I should take him to a hospital."

"It'll wear off. It's nothing dangerous." 

"Chan," Baekhyun whines, reaching out to find him again. He can't decide whether he wants Chanyeol near him or away from him. "It's weird..."

"What's weird?"

He mumbles to himself, trying to confirm who the person looking at him from over Chanyeol's shoulder is. As soon as they leave, Baekhyun's mind relaxes again, concentrating on the familiar features of the person who's been accompanying him the past few days. 

"Is it weird," Baekhyun mutters, "that I think you're hot?"

He can't tell what the look on Chanyeol's face exactly means, because there's more shadows than lights on his face. The little teeth that he shows at Baekhyun's comment are more predatory than friendly, and strangely, Baekhyun wants to pet him for being _such a good dog._

Little by little, he begins to realize what exactly he's blurted out. The rising turmoil inside him must have begun to show on his face, because Chanyeol finally speaks up.

"If it's any consolation, I've always thought you were attractive." 

"Oh."

They don't exchange words after that. Baekhyun turns his back to everyone and only lends his ear. He listens to someone he supposes is D.O, offering his hospitable services to them, wanting them to spend the night at some guestroom he owns or knows of. Baekhyun doesn't care. He instead focuses on the timber of Chanyeol's voice as he makes light conversation with his friend, turning down D.O's offers, and discussing the paperwork and necessities. 

Somewhere between a fake past life and photographs, Baekhyun drifts off.

 

He is roused to consciousness by someone shaking him awake. He jolts into a stiff sitting position, because the hands on him don't belong to Chanyeol. They belong to a short male with large eyes that could pass as golf balls if they widen any further. Baekhyun makes out his name being said before he hears it. 

"I'm up." He searches for his companion only to find the room devoid of anyone but themselves.

Chanyeol is right outside, downing an energy drink. He gives Baekhyun a reassuring smile as he follows them to another room.

Baekhyun's new identity is constructed within an hour. D.O even suggests surgery, but there's no time for such hassles. 

At seventeen, Baekhyun has his own identity card that claims him to be twenty one, a high school graduate and a current student at a university in Changwon. A man and woman he's never heard of before are his parents. His birth place is made to be Changwon, and his new name is Taehyung. He can't overcome the excitement of finally getting his own identity card, albeit a fake one. 

It makes him feel like eternal freedom could really be a possibility. 

There are a lot of things he never imagined could happen, one of them being cheating the law. But in this moment, as D.O hands him his paperwork, he truly feels like anything is possible. 

When he turns to see Chanyeol, it almost feels like the man is a god. He's done so much for Baekhyun, much more than his own gods ever did, than his own family ever bothered, than his own tribe ever tried. If Baekhyun was asked to worship Chanyeol, he might have taken a moment to consider it, because while Chanyeol would make a good god, Baekhyun doesn't kneel to anyone. 

On the other hand, he wouldn't mind kissing Chanyeol senseless. It's worth the debate if Chanyeol would appreciate the gesture.

When they arrive back to their rented room, Candy pounces on Chanyeol. She noses around his feet, running around him in circles and acts utterly devastated. Her ears are pressed flat against her head and her tail is tucked between her legs as she hops around her owner.

"What's wrong with her?" Baekhyun asks as he kneels down next to her. He's never seen her act like this before. "She looks really upset."

"She must be," Chanyeol sighs. "She can tell you're leaving us soon."

It silences Baekhyun. His chest tightens and begins to feel heavier than his shoulders ever did. It dawns on him again how much Chanyeol has done for him. He's supported him in so many ways. Without Chanyeol, he might have drowned already. It's only his companionship that has managed to drag him out so far.

And, in return, Baekhyun can do nothing. Nothing to return the favour. Nothing to fulfill this debt. He can't set an equilibrium. He only does what he's been doing since the beginning - siphoning Chanyeol of everything he offers. 

He doesn't know how to show his gratefulness. He wonders how he can communicate his thankfulness. He wants to present the honest, most sincere words.

Candy showers all her attention on Chanyeol. It's surprising to Baekhyun, because she's been biased towards him as long as he's known her. Her sudden shift to Chanyeol almost makes him believe that she really knows he'll be leaving.

"Chanyeol," Baekhyun calls for his attention. He seats himself opposite the other, waiting until Chanyeol meets his eyes before he continues. "No matter how many times I thank you, I don't think it'll ever be enough."

"For what?" Chanyeol sounds genuine but also teasing.

"For everything you've done so far. I've never had anyone do so much for me. I'm pretty selfish-"

"You don't have to say anything." He's cut off abruptly. "I never had any motive, and I never wanted something in return. Don't feel obliged to do something for me." It's almost as if Chanyeol dug the truth right out of his heart. "Just watching others be happy has always made me happy. And helping you has been really fun, too. You're great company, Baekhyun, I think anyone who'd met you would have helped you like I did."

But they didn't.

_It's only you._

"I feel like I wouldn't have survived without you and Candy." He laughs half-heartedly. The sentence makes Chanyeol grin. 

"Hear that Candy?" He ruffles the dog's fur, but she seems too busy trying to dig herself into the man to appreciate the gesture. 

Baekhyun is suddenly reminded of the interesting fact Chanyeol once shared about his dog. _"Candy is drawn to fear. When she feels it, she always runs to that person. More than people, she's attracted to their feelings. Does this sound strange to you?"_

"Chanyeol," he cautiously begins, "What are you so afraid of?"

Candy's whimpering is painful, like a mother having lost her pups. Chanyeol sighs morosely, like a man having lost his treasure. 

He breaks contact with Baekhyun, looking down at his hands instead, at his fingers that are restlessly pulling at each other.

"Losing you."

 

As Baekhyun settles his backpack in the cabin, he can't help but wonder if Chanyeol pushed so much for him only because he liked him. But why would a person be willing to do so much for a stranger? Only because of a physical attraction? He can't cancel the probability because he's already had people tied around his fingertips with his looks alone, but ... Chanyeol ... 

He's gone to great lengths. 

Now knowing that Chanyeol wants Baekhyun around him, that he might have feelings towards him that might cross simple boundaries, it brings a ticklish feeling to his chest.

He doesn't deny that he finds his companion attractive. May be not entirely from the beginning but over time, he grew to appreciate the company and the support. And maybe he's still selfish for wanting to run away and leaving every speck behind, in spite of knowing how Chanyeol feels.

 

Changwon is alight despite it being an ungodly hour of the morning, but as the distance between them and civilization increases, the surroundings become darker, again. Candy is dozing off in the back, and Chanyeol is lost in his own world, driving them somewhere not marked on his map. Baekhyun looks out the window to search for the starry sky, but he finds nothing except an endless expense of darkness. Even his thoughts can't run anywhere. They're trapped inside with Chanyeol and Candy.

"Do you like me?" he blurts out without giving much thought to his words.

He doesn't expect Chanyeol to hear him, or acknowledge his words even if he does. But Chanyeol gives him a quick glance and answers him.

"That depends on what you mean by _like._ "

Usually Baekhyun feels so at home inside this car, with his feet on the dashboard and his hands busy fiddling with the radio. Today, it feels like his first time again, sitting rigidly with a straight back, his fingers tapping nervously on his knees, because he doesn't have his bag to hold onto.

"I think you know what I mean."

"And I think you know how I feel." 

He could be wrong, but there have may been little signs peppered here and there. Baekhyun didn't pay attention to them, because he wasn't looking for them. Now, that part of the truth is laid bare, he can see everything connecting and making sense.

"Chanyeol..." He reaches for Chanyeol's arm but his hand ends up on the other's thigh. 

Chanyeol hits the brakes so abruptly, Baekhyun would have flown off his seat had he not been wearing his seatbelt. Candy's barking is half stupor and half disgruntlement. 

He wishes he was blind, because even in the darkness, he can make out most of Chanyeol's features from the small interior lights. The look on his face hits too close to home, and when he faces Baekhyun, the younger has to swallow hard, because he's never seen that look so intensely on anyone's face before, but he knows exactly what it means. It's a gut feeling, just like the one that told him to run, like the one that told him to trust, and now that's telling him to get closer.

He looks contemplative as he searches for something in Baekhyun's eyes, while Baekhyun digs into himself to search for something just there, but not quite.

His eyes dart towards the cabin just once to search for Candy -but he can't see her- before he looks back up into Chanyeol's dark eyes. Her probable absence makes this moment more private, gives him a little bit more courage.

Whatever he does now won't follow him to his next destination. This will become a part of the past he leaves behind. Whether it's good or bad, everything will be clumped together and forgotten. 

Baekhyun is not sure what Chanyeol will make of this, or how he'll respond to it. Even if he ends up being embarrassed, his consolation comes in all of this becoming a part of the past with every passing second. This is something that will never bother him again. 

He leans forward, eyes a little vary, but his grip a little more firm. 

He's not even given a moment more of contemplation before his lips are pressed under another pair. Chanyeol's hand encases his smaller one, pulling it upward to rest over Chanyeol's heart. Baekhyun can't feel any heartbeat; his own is slamming against his eardrums and drowning out every other sound.

The first to pull away is Chanyeol, and to Baekhyun's surprise, he throws open the car door and leaves.

_Oh fuck._

"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun is quick to jump out. He spots him walking away from the vehicle, his strides long and quick, and his hands covering his face. He quickly catches up to him, reaching up to turn him around by the shoulder. "Chanyeol, wait! I'm sorry!"

"No! Shit! _I'm sorry_. This is already hard enough for you- God!" He whips around again, "I must be a fucking millennium old, and I feel like a fucking hormonal teenager."

Chanyeol has never spoken like this in front of him. 

"No, it's alright."

"You don't have to be like this for some fuck up like me," Chanyeol massages his temple, looking past Baekhyun. "Don't do this thinking you're repaying me or doing me a favor. That'll fuck it up worse."

Baekhyun snorts. "You think I'll give my body to repay someone? I thought you'd know by now what kind of person I am."

"Yeah, and you're pretty dangerous." Chanyeol grins weakly. "You're daring and experimental, and I'm far too invested to be used and disposed like this."

He has to take a moment to let the words sink in. "I never lead you on. I didn't know- I never knew you thought of me-"

"It's alright; it doesn't matter." He waves him off. "Just give me a moment to clear my head. I need some fresh air."

"I like you, too, just so you know." Baekhyun doesn't look away from Chanyeol's face. He waits for him to look back at him. "It's not about returning the favour, or anything of the sort. It's just that. I like you. When we spent time together, and I found out what kind of person you were, I was bound to fall. I think anyone would have. So it's not about-" His breath catches when Chanyeol closes the distance between them.

Their foreheads are pressed together tenderly, and Baekhyun can feel Chanyeol's warm breath fanning over his lips, while his own is clogged up in his throat. 

"Stranger," Chanyeol murmurs, "you had me at first sight," 

Baekhyun half chuckles, half chokes as a reply. The rest of his sounds are swallowed by Chanyeol's lips.

He's kissed girls before, even though he was technically never allowed to, but there was a thrill to breaking the rules, and the ignorant women used to think his kisses were some magical cure to whatever their problems were. He would feel a strange sensation brewing in the pit of his stomach from all the nerves, the fear of being caught, the thrill of doing something forbidden.

This time, the sensations are different. His expectations are different. He's not in control, and things aren't so innocent. 

It doesn't even cross his mind that what he, _they_ , are doing is wrong, it's unacceptable. He's always been the one to look for ways to break rules without getting caught. Right now, he's willing to go that extra length to do what he wants to, what he feels like, because there's no one to stop him. Right now, he wants Chanyeol. He wants them to be together. He wants their breaths and limbs to mix and tangle, and he wants to feel the ache in his heart gone, and the tickling of his stomach to turn to something better.

His skin is hyperaware of Chanyeol's hand that ghosts over his back, moving above his spine. He mewls as teeth pull on his lower lip, before Chanyeol's tongue is licking a slow trail over the bitten area. His hands find themselves tangled in Chanyeol's hair, pulling him lower and closer. He gasps, arching his back when he feels Chanyeol's thumb on his skin, rubbing circles under his naval, right above the cursed birthmark.

He slots their lips together again, trying to distract his mind from inevitable things.

Maybe if things had been ideal they'd be boyfriends of the same age, living in a universe where no one would be shunned for who they were. They might be living together in Chanyeol's apartment, wherever it is, with good-natured neighbors. Baekhyun would be working in a small company, and Chanyeol would pick him up whenever he'd get off. They'd go home together, eat, and make out in front of the TV. In their world, there would be no religions, gods, or problems. Just living and enjoying life.

But, in this world, where he stands under a starless sky with Chanyeol's lips desperately moving against his, there's a backward timer on his head. There's a bounty on him and a search for him. Every moment he lives, someone else from his tribe loses their mind and tears their hair out, because he -the sacrifice- is supposed to be dead. Curses rain down on them the more the sacrifice is delayed, and Baekhyun thinks, _Good, they deserve it all._

"I'm going crazy," Chanyeol mumbles against his lips, before he resumes his ministrations. Baekhyun feels his lips tingling, faintly but pleasantly stinging from how much they've been bitten. They feel sensitive and swollen, slicked with spit. He really feels like an adult. He feels a little like he's in love too - with this feeling, or with this man. He needs to ponder on that.

Baekhyun yelps when Chanyeol picks him up. He's barely put his arms around Chanyeol's shoulders, while his legs naturally go around the taller man's waist, before his back hits the car. Chanyeol grunts, _"Better,"_ before his teeth latch onto the column of Baekhyun's neck, biting and sucking, trailing down and leaving faint marks.

Trying to adjust himself, Baekhyun jerks his body upward and ends up moaning at the friction created by their jeans between them. He feels heat pooling down between his legs faster than ever before. He can't decide if he wants this to stop or go further.

The way his nails dig into Chanyeol's skin seem to decide for him. 

He's not sure who kicks out the luggage from the cabin, and when he ends up with his back on the leather seat, but all logical thinking abandons him when Chanyeol starts grinding their hips together. Between gasps and whimpers, their belts and buttons come undone, and Baekhyun has little mind to think about what everything is leading towards when he's too busy chasing his completion.

Nothing matters except the pleasure. He's drunk on the feeling. Only the aftermath is going to be regretful. 

Under normal circumstances, he would have been mortified at having someone's hands on his bare skin, but now they work to drive him further to brink of release, and Baekhyun welcomes it all. 

He shudders as he comes, moaning against Chanyeol's ear as the man showers his face with kisses. With bleary eyes, he watches as Chanyeol looks down at him. It's a look reminiscent of his mother, and his grandparents. It's a look brewed purely out of love. Baekhyun tries to blink the tears out of his eyes and return even one quarter of the feelings Chanyeol has towards him.

Chanyeol's hand gently pats his cheeks, like a soft gesture of understanding, as if telling Baekhyun not to bother. As his eyes slide close and sleep wins over, he feels Chanyeol wiping away his tears and cleaning him up.

 

His eyes snap open before the vehicle even stops. The sun is peeking out of the horizon, ready to splash the world with colours. 

On the ground, they're just pulling into the parking space at a highway motel. 

For the first time, Baekhyun finds himself lying in the back cabin and Candy having taken his seat at the front. She picks up on his movement instantly, turning around to bark at him. 

"You alright back there?" 

Baekhyun mumbles an affirmation. He feels like he's been dreaming for centuries. It takes him a little time to pick apart what part of his dreams was real and what wasn't. When he concludes that Chanyeol's hand around his dick was indeed reality, his internal organs plummet into each other, because only that can explain the odd ticklish feeling in his gut, something between dread and anticipation.

"We're only going to stay here for a few hours before we hit the road," Chanyeol informs. "I need to get her checked, too." He pats the dash board. 

Breakfast is a quick affair. Baekhyun has it alone in the room while Chanyeol and Candy are out visiting a nearby mechanic. Things suddenly seem to be coming back full circle. It's almost like a reminder to him that everything is going to change again, and not necessarily for the better. He doesn't like the feeling of isolation, certainly not after having been around a loud man and his hyper dog these past few days.

When the two return, Candy seems to be brimming with restless energy. She can't sit still, and though Baekhyun is no expert on dogs, he can tell she's agitated about something. He doesn't dare voice it out to Chanyeol, afraid that the old point would be raised again: _She's already missing you._

Baekhyun leaves the door open for her to run out if she pleases. Candy doesn't waste the opportunity. 

This alarms Chanyeol. He sits upright on his bed, watching Baekhyun make his way back.

"Are you alright?"

"I don't know. Does something feel strange to you?" Baekhyun asks.

Chanyeol doesn't answer. His expression is obvious enough for Baekhyun. He crosses the room quickly, looking along the corridor for anything suspicious. "Did you see someone?" Baekhyun shakes his head, but Chanyeol still moves around a bit to see if he can spot anything peculiar.

"It might be my nerves." He shrugs. Baekhyun stands by the door, watching as Chanyeol looks around. When he closes the door, their shoulders rubbing together might or might not have been intentional.

The silence that engulfs them is strained. The room is illuminated by the light that filters in from the blinds and rings with the faint sound of a fan whirring. Baekhyun swears he can hear Chanyeol breathing and the blood pulsing in his own veins. 

"Do you regret what happened last night?" Chanyeol's voice, though calm and low, booms in the stifling silence.

"No," he breathes. Chanyeol doesn't look like he believes him. " _No_."

The acknowledging nod he receives is not convincing. 

Baekhyun leaves his spot and stands in front of the other. He tugs up Chanyeol's hands and clasps them between his own. He feels like he's the elder of the two, trying to keep a breaking man together, trying to keep a sensitive child from breaking - both seem to suit Chanyeol. 

He's suddenly pulled down, and long limbs come to surround his smaller frame. Chanyeol sighs into his neck, pulling Baekhyun as tightly against himself as he can. His hands lock around the small waist, as Baekhyun's own go to rest around his shoulders. He adjusts his knees to rest properly on either side of Chanyeol. Their thighs press against each other, and their bodies come together in a way that's intimate and friendly. 

Chanyeol digs his nose in Baekhyun's neck, and his full lips brush gently against the sensitive skin. Baekhyun can't see Chanyeol purring against all the marks he left behind last night.

In that position, he lets himself fall back, pulling Baekhyun on top of him. Their searching lips find each other again, their hands linger and wander, explore and tease. They pull apart when they're breathless and flushed red but are quick to resume with a newfound eagerness.

The new sensations are exciting to Baekhyun. The look on Chanyeol's face, and his eagerness, emboldens Baekhyun.

He rolls his hips coyly, alert to any reaction Chanyeol might give. He doesn't expect to suddenly be flipped around, but he doesn't mind Chanyeol dragging him closer by his thighs or even bending him half. They lose their clothes sometime between a second or an hour, neither of them care.

What he'll never forget is the care with which Chanyeol's hands treat him. How they take their time discovering every inch of him, playful but careful, the time they take in preparing him. Chanyeol's words, his kisses and touches are forever engraved in memory, and every moment from when the sun rose that day will stay with Baekhyun.

The dark tattoos that cover Chanyeol's front keep stealing Baekhyun's attention. He can't stop himself from looking at the symbol of Light. He puts his palm flat against the symbol, right over Chanyeol's heart, letting his eyes and finger trace the swirls that dance all around his muscled abdomen. Before his thoughts can wander too, Chanyeol takes his hands and hooks them behind his neck. That, and a hungry kiss, is all it takes to plummet back.

The transition from pain to pleasure, the wait from whimpers to moans, from prickling to pleasing, the sensations that lift his back clean off the bed, they all carve themselves into his head, right at the back of his skull.

Even as Baekhyun sobs, whether he's dragging his nails down Chanyeol's back, tearing the tattoo there, or locking his fingers behind the other's neck, Chanyeol murmurs the sweetest words and the most sincere promises. His lips stay strictly on Baekhyun's ear when he seems distressed, and when his voice grows louder and demanding, Chanyeol's lips journey lower, trailing over his jaw and sinking towards his chest to suck and mark the skin there.

Baekhyun is sure he's lost his mind when he demands _more, more, more,_ because his body can't take any more, but he wants to destroy himself. He thinks there can be no better way to completely lose his sanity than in Chanyeol's arms. Little by little, he feels himself being taken over. 

He cries out at every snap of Chanyeol's hips, at every thrust that sends the bed jostling. The only way to shut himself is to bite down on Chanyeol, and when he feels the man won't go as hard as he wants, he pushes him in deeper by his ankles hooked around the other's back.

His orgasm hits him hard, a blinding white consuming his vision and every limb shaking from the release. He can feel his fingers trembling afterward. Baekhyun unlocks his fingers from around Chanyeol, letting his arms slump uselessly beside him. He mewls as Chanyeol continues to thrust inside him, shallow and irregular, close to his own release. 

His lips are swollen when Chanyeol comes back to them, and he's still not completely down from the high. Baekhyun groans when Chanyeol pulls out. He already misses the feeling of being filled. It has to be a sin, feeling this good. It has to be an addiction.

"I'll help you get cleaned up," Chanyeol says when he returns from discarding the condom, placing a kiss on his flushed cheek.

"I've got it," Baekhyun sits up, suddenly wincing. He didn't expect any pain to go shooting down his spine, and he wonders if he's damaged something inside him.

A little reassurance tells him its normal for everyone. The small moment of panic also confirms to Chanyeol what Baekhyun didn't want him to know. "You're a virgin ..." He doesn't know why it sounds like an accusation.

Baekhyun feels degrees of embarrassment he's never felt before. He sits down under the lukewarm shower, allowing his muscles to relax and washing off all the lube from inside him. He's glad for the moment of privacy, because even though he's done the deed, seen all of Chanyeol and has been seen himself, Baekhyun doesn't think he's ready to face the man any time soon.

Sooner or later though, he has to.

 

It's not really awkward when their eyes meet. Chanyeol's have an odd twinkle to them, and as soon as they look at each other, they burst out laughing. Baekhyun keeps his gaze downcast. He still feels shy and the way Candy bounces around him almost feels like she _knows_ what went down when she was gone. 

But Baekhyun is still half asleep when Chanyeol helps him into the car, and doesn't notice Candy is just as agitated as she was. As soon as he had walked out of the bath earlier, he fell asleep and Chanyeol didn't have the heart to wake him up.

Things are back to normal, now. Chanyeol banters away about this and that, and Baekhyun adds in his ten cents whenever the moment allows. An hour after sundown, Chanyeol stops at a filling station, one that has a motel a few kilometers ahead.

"I'll get something to eat, wait here."

Baekhyun busies himself with the radio. 

The only sound for miles is the chirping of insects, a radio song marred by static, and Baekhyun's singing as he tries to keep up with the new song. Candy's sudden barking has him jumping in his seat.

"You gave me a heart attack!" He thumps his palm against his chest, trying to calm down his racing heart. "Bad girl." Even when he lowers the volume, Candy's incessant barking doesn't stop. "Calm down, girl. What's wrong?" He follows the direction she's barking at, frowning at the two Besta vans that have pulled up in the station.

He doesn't recognize the two men that come out of the first vehicle. "Hush, girl!" Baekhyun leans back to scratch her neck. He grabs her collar and tries to force her down but she doesn't budge, barking like the strangers are dangerous to her.

When he looks back at them, one of the men is opening the door of the second vehicle, and Baekhyun recognizes the attire that comes out.

Without a second thought, he scrambles across the seats, throwing open Chaneyol's door and runs into the small tuck shop. The pain in his lower back is less compared to earlier in the day, but his blood is running on adrenaline and he wouldn't care if every last bone in his body were broken right now, he'd still run. _Run. Run. Run._

Baekhyun slams into the glass door. Behind him he hears Candy's barking, but she's not following him. The last thing he hears is her growling before he manages to throw open the door and let himself in.

"Chanyeol! _Chanyeol!_ " he screams. The panic takes over faster than he expected. He grips his hair, keeping his nails from scratching down his face. _Why now?_ Why when he was so close? His heart is hammering against his ribs. A million thoughts are running in his head and he can barely tell left from right. Mercifully, the only person inside is Chanyeol and the shop keeper.

"Baekhyun? What's wrong?" Chanyeol's hands are instantly on his face.

What he sees of Baekhyun is someone he can barely recognize. He's gone paper white, and his eyes are wide, darting all over the place, as if searching for a place to hide. Baekhyun is ice cold to touch, and Chanyeol's skin almost burns in contrast to it. 

They both jolt in alarm when they hear a gunshot.

"We have to get out. We have to-to- Get out-" Baekhyun grips his wrist tightly, dragging him towards the door. He freezes in his step when he sees who's entering. "No-no-" He backtracks, mindless of how he's bumping into Chanyeol and pushing them back, sending the man dangerously off balance. 

" _Baekhyun!_ "

It's not Chanyeol's friendly voice that calls him. It's a voice from his nightmares, from his home.

Baekhyun lets go of Chanyeol and runs behind the shelves. The man who enters runs right after him. The space is small and confined with only one door, and Baekhyun was a dead man the minute he chose to step in. 

His terrified voice bounces against the walls as he dodges the man. His eyes are focused solely on the one male, so he never sees the other one before he rams right into him, sending Baekhyun straight into his arms, and then them both flying to the floor. 

Baekhyun kicks his legs around, jerking his body left and right in an attempt to free himself. The arms around him are too tight and bulky. Baekhyun knocks his head back, successfully hitting the man's chin. The grip around him only loosens, but it never lets go.

"Let me go! Let! Me! _Go!_ " he shouts as his face goes from white to red. Baekhyun thrashes wildly in the man's grip, looking like a small rodent struggling in a bear's claws. He kicks everything he can reach, knocking products off shelves and sending lone stands crashing against the floor. 

Almost effortlessly, the man gets to his feet, Baekhyun held to his chest like a child throwing a tantrum. 

"Let go of him," Chanyeol blocks the man's path. His expression is tight and enraged. Baekhyun never had the chance to see him this serious before, "or else." The threat looms for a few seconds as Baekhyun catches his breath. The tension in his chests releases a bit as hope pours in. Chanyeol can save him. He _would_ save him.

"Get out of my way."

Baekhyun doesn't pay attention to what Chanyeol picks up, but the man holding him lets him go as his head is sent bashing into the wall. Baekhyun staggers away from him, taking Chanyeol's wrist and running towards the door. He can hear the man groaning - a dragon recovering from a minuscule setback. 

He hasn't taken two full strides when someone else slams him against the nearest shelf. Baekhyun cries out in pain as metal digs painfully in his sides and products scratch against his face. The force keeps pushing him in, almost constricting his breathing, and he can feel bruises forming. His hand pats around behind him, searching for Chanyeol's.

He can hear him struggling, spitting warnings to whoever is holding him.

"You stay out of this _boy_ , this is a private matter." Baekhyun visibly shudders at the voice. He whimpers, trying to set himself free. He looks around for any window he can break out of, the nearest door, the nearest weapon. "And sir, you would put that phone down if you do not want your brain all over the floor." The following mumble must belong to the shop keeper. "Come, Baekhyun. You've given us enough trouble as it is."

"I won't! You can't do this!" He drops his weight down, trying to anchor his feet to the ground as he's yanked forward. "I'm not eligible anymore!"

Baekhyun spots the _High One_ as he carefully steps over the mess they've created. His long white top, adored with fiery embroidery, shines under the sharp fluorescent lighting of the small shop. He _tsks_ as soon as he sees Baekhyun. "You cannot imagine the trouble you have caused, little boy. We have not left a moment to waste. Your eighteenth lingers too close for my liking."

"I won't go back!" Baekhyun screams. He kicks behind his captor's knees, drags himself in the opposite direction, he does everything that crosses his mind.

"Child, if you do not go home, where will you go?" The way the _High One_ smiles sickens Baekhyun. "God has been waiting for you."

"No, fuck you!" Baekhyun spits at him. He doesn't get a chance to see if he succeed in his intent before a thick palm hits him across the face. He stumbles backwards, tripping over his feet and landing painfully on the floor. His head is still tilted to the left, his cheek stinging and gradually going numb as Baekhyun realizes, this is the first time he's been slapped in his entire life.

"Leave him the fuck alone!" Chanyeol's voice is a useless speckle in the background. Even he sounds like he's been restrained. 

"No son of mine will shame me, do you hear me?" His father's voice is as intimidating as the day he was born. He can't remember one day, not one living day, when the man spoke with a voice laced with anything close to affection. "You've played enough games. It was shameful enough searching for you when you were supposed to be at the god's feet by your own responsibility."

Baekhyun snorts, feeling his fear draining in favour of rage. "Shame? I haven't shamed you enough." He spits out, getting unsteadily to his feet. A man hoists him up roughly, grabbing his arm to keep him from running away. "I'm not your pure virgin sacrifice anymore," he laughs, "I drank. I fucked. I've done everything."

A deathly silence rests over everyone. Heads turn to look at the _High One_ , who looks like he's about to drop.

"No-no," he stutters, "The boy is fooling around. He's pure as the day he was born. I can sense it."

"Lie all you want," he laughs, "Keep thinking those fucking stones can hear you."

"Don't taint your tongue!" his father bellows.

"You don't believe me? Ask him." Baekhyun throws his chin in Chanyeol's direction. "Ask him what I did with him. I begged him, father. I begged like a whore, and he fucked me _so good_ , I still have trouble-"

"Enough!" His father's voice booms like the final warning. Baekhyun's bravado falters under the tone. He can feel his knees trembling, but he keeps the brave facade. They've already found him. He's already dead. There's no chance he can survive, so he chooses to retaliate. He decides to make them suffer in the only way he can. "We did it more than once."

Baekhyun is yanked out of his captor's grip as his father pulls him by the collar, and then throws him backward. The movement is so sudden, he doesn't find time to balance his weight and ends up sprawled on the floor.

He can hear a voice screaming from the row over. " _You put your hands on him?_ "

Baekhyun stretches his neck, trying to see where the voice is coming from, and he prays he's not talking to Chanyeol. 

"You're lying. Tell me you're lying!" His father's dark timbre pulls him back to his predicament. The man's eyes are bloodshot, his face puffed red. It's remarkable neither of his sons inherited his bull rage. "Tell me the truth and I won't kill you on the spot."

Baekhyun looks straight into his eyes, "I can tell you what alcohol tastes like, or would you prefer knowing about semen?"

Baekhyun shrinks against the floor when his father advances menacingly.

" _Byun, don't!_ " 

There's no doubt in his mind his father would have broken his skull right then and there if the _High One_ hadn't interrupted. He delivers a strong kick to Baekhyun's abdomen, instead. The wind is knocked out of him and Baekhyun curls into a fetus, trying to protect himself. He coughs and wheezes, trying to grapple the wooden floorboards for a solid holding. He doesn't realize he'd been crying up until this moment.

His eyes follow his father's boots, as well as the second pair that follows him out. Baekhyun tries to make sense of what's happening now. Everyone seems to be gathering in another row, and it's with growing trepidation that he discovers that they're ganging up on Chanyeol.

"You touched him?" his father's voice is calm, eerily composed, to the point it makes Baekhyun's hair stand on end.

Baekhyun sobs against the messy floor, knowing this silence is Chanyeol's guilt and his death sentence. He cries out a meek _'no'_ , that remains unheard against Chanyeol's unwavering "Yes."

He hears his father cursing profanities. He hears the first blow, the second, the third. At the fourth, he finally screams.

" _Stop!_ Don't hurt him! Stop, please!" Baekhyun gets to his feet, maneuvering his body with the help of the stock shelf. "Stop it! Stop! _Stop! Stop!_ " 

As soon as he turns the corner, he sees his father bring forth a spade. "Oh, no, _no, no, no,_ " Baekhyun throws himself at the closest male, pushing him out of the way to try and wrestle the equipment away from his father. He's lost himself to his rage, barely aware of what he's doing because now all he wants to shed is blood. "Don't do this!"

He's pushed away again with an enraged cry. Baekhyun hits his face against a shelf before he hits the ground, his scream dying in his throat. He feels the blunt side of the spade hit his spine, sending his back arching, trying to get away from the pain. He can feel blood running down his cheek, but his concern is Chanyeol, who has kicks raining down on him from the others.

"Don't hurt him! Please! He's been so good to me!" Baekhyun cries. He turns around and tries to crawl forward before a foot pushes his shoulder against the ground, immobilizing him. "I'm begging you! Listen to me! Please, stop this madness!" He hits his fist blindly against the person holding him down.

Something suddenly clicks in his head. He urgently reaches for the pocket in his shirt, when he realizes he's not wearing _that_ sweatshirt. He hurriedly pats the pouches on his pants, begging, _please, please, please, please,_ when the horror finally dawns on him.

He left the switchblade in his backpack. He left it inside the car, in the trunk. 

It became a useless weight when Chanyeol became sunshine, when he became a constant. He didn't need it anymore. He was comfortable, he felt protected, he was happy. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Baekhyun screams, cries, and thrashes helplessly. He still feels around for the weapon, hoping he's mistaken and it's still on him somewhere.

He wails as Chanyeol tries to defend himself. He can see the fight draining out of him. He can see the little specks of blood that go flying left and right. "Oh, no! No! Please!" Baekhyun's throat begins to hurt from his constant screaming. He scratches the floor, trying to get to his father before he brings the spade dow- " _NO! NO!_ "

It comes down again. And again. And again. And again.

Chanyeol doesn't voice one word during the assault. His grunts and gasps speak volumes.

"Stop! You're killing him! _You're killing him!_ " Baekhyun pulls at his hair. His blood mixes with his tears and cold sweat as he screams loud enough to wake the dead. " _Stop!_ "

Chanyeol's body suddenly jerks, and his position changes. Their eyes meet but Baekhyun doesn't know it's for the final time. He never thought the last image he'd have of the kind stranger would be with red all over his face, all over his clothes, all around his body. The red shines like a blaring banner on the polished floor.

Baekhyun extends his hand towards Chanyeol for the first time, for the final time. He swears Chanyeol tries to do so, too. 

But then something comes down on Chanyeol and red splatters over Baekhyun's face. He turns his face away, screaming and clawing at his skin. Large hands pull him to his feet and try to wrench him away. Baekhyun holds onto the nearest object, refusing to leave Chaneyol like this. He screams out his name, like a dying man calling out to God, but Chanyeol does not move. The red around him seems to grow more. Baekhyun cries, begs him to get up, even as he lays limp and lifeless, receiving unwarranted kicks and being attacked by maniacs with weapons. 

When his father moves aside and Baekhyun gets a glimpse of Chanyeol's face, he lets his fingers slip. His voice dies inside his throat. Black spots start dancing in front of his vision and he feels faint. 

He's jerked away and out of the store. The fresh air brings him out of shock, only for him to see Candy sharing the fate of her owner. Her body lays still next to a fuel dispenser, red around her head, and he realizes the gunshot he heard earlier must have been to put Candy out. 

He sobs as he's dragged across the empty station to the van. 

"You're all monsters! You don't deserve any happiness!" Baekhyun bawls. The fight is drained out of him so leaves himself to his fate, crying helplessly. 

He's pushed inside the vehicle, his hands tied together by a person already waiting. As he moves himself into the light, Baekhyun in stunned into shock, "You?" The person doesn't reply, but Baekhyun realizes, he was the Grim Reaper. He brought the death knell on them. He informed the tribe where to look, where they were headed, who to look for. "Chanyeol trusted you!" Baekhyun screams. 

He tries to close the space between them, tries to wrench his hands free and tear the man to shreds. But he's easily thrown back into his seat.

"You motherfucker! You got him killed! Chanyeol trusted you and you killed him!"

"No, Baekhyun," D.O speaks, slowly and softly, "You killed him when you became reckless. Had you stayed home, none of this would have happened." 

Baekhyun swallows down all the words fighting to get out. His tears flow out in abundance, especially heavier when he realizes that D.O's words are true. Baekhyun got them both killed. Had he kept his shit to himself, Chanyeol and Candy would be alive. They were good people who deserved happy endings. 

Chanyeol didn't deserve this. He didn't. No one does. Not his grandmother. Not Candy. Not _Chanyeol._

Baekhyun breaks down, hitting his forehead against the back of the seat. His tries to slip his hands free, ignoring the burning rope against this bony wrist. 

"We're just going to clean this mess up a bit and head to town. It's going to be your eighteenth soon." D.O informs him. Baekhyun looks up to give him the most disgusting look he can manage. D.O suddenly pauses, picking up a crumpled yellow post-it from the dash board. A grin breaks out on his face. He holds the paper up for him to see.

_Catch me if you can_

Baekhyun is slammed back to the day he wrote it in his classroom. He carried it in his pocket all day. He kept it as he packed his belongings into two small bags. He thought about it as he painted insults on his bedroom wallpaper. He flattened it out, placing a corner under a paperweight before he quietly left.

"Game. Over." He sticks it to Baekhyun's forehead before he jumps out of the vehicle. The paper falls between his feet, disappearing in the darkness.

With his unfocused vision, Baekhyun watches as they drag Chanyeol's body out of the store. He's not struggling. He's not moving. There is so much red smeared on everyone, on the path. 

He notices two of his tribesmen digging by the side of the road, and he realizes what they're up to.

"I'm so sorry, Chanyeol. I'm so sorry." Baekhyun wails to no one. He looks away from the scene, but the thought is already ingrained. The picture will haunt him for his remaining time. He doesn't need to see the full scene, but his mind provides vivid pictures of Chanyeol's body being dumped into a pit, Candy on top of him and their faces being cut off from the last of the moonlight by the dirt. 

He jumps at the sound of a gunshot. Quickly turning around, he sees one of the men lowering his gun _from Chanyeol's direction._

"Oh-Oh-" Baekhyun gasps. He tries to control his breathing before he passes out. _Chanyeol was still alive. He was still alive when they brought him out._

He looks away, biting the seat in front of him and screaming into it. He screams his apologies and his curses. When his voice is almost gone, he starts sobbing, again, uselessly trying to unknot his bindings, only too aware of what fate awaits him.

It seems like ages when everyone returns. Baekhyun dares looking at the place he saw them digging, and there's a small mound. He looks around as if he'd be able to find where they scattered the dirt. All traces of Candy and Chanyeol are gone. Even their blood.

D.O is given Chanyeol's car to drive. Baekhyun wants to curse him out loud, but his voice is gone. He inwardly wishes death on him. _I hope you have an accident and burn to death. I hope you die as painfully as you killed him. I hope..._

His tears dry out, but he continues to sob and moan in pain. 

He can barely feel his body hurting, or his wrists burning. It's his heart that won't stop aching. His head feels like it's about to split into two. His eyes can barely open from how puffy they are, and his throat burns every time he swallows.

He grasps back into his memories, towards the happier times when he first went to school. His first choir performance. His prankster friends. His grandmother's cookies. He chokes at the memories when he wonders about Chanyeol's past. Who did Chanyeol leave behind?

He thinks back to their first meeting. Everything unrolls like a film from there, frame by frame, happiness after happiness, and memories after memories. He sees them laying under a starry sky at the beach. He sees them throwing fists full of coloured powder at each other. He sees them enjoying long drives, dancing, and playing with Candy. He sees them doing things they never did, but Baekhyun wanted them to. He sees Chanyeol's lips hovering over his ear, and he hears Chanyeol's voice promising to protect him, and he feels Chanyeol's fingers as they leave fiery trails over his skin.

Baekhyun sobs harder as the image disrupts. The dream tears itself to make way for reality. 

He has no strength left in any part of his body. He ran as far as he could, and he thinks he's run enough. He's fought enough. There's no saving himself anymore.

He lets himself be dragged around like a sack, having no idea when the vehicle started or when it even stopped.

The sun is rising when his feet touch home soil. They'd driven nonstop back to town. This is also the first sunrise of his life that he hates. It tells him exactly how much time he has left. It's like a welcome from the Phoenix, a mockery. _Did you notice? I've been everywhere._

His feet dangle off the ground as he's carried to the temple. Baekhyun cries weakly in protest, refusing to let anyone see him in such a state. 

These people had held him in high regard. They thought of him as precious and valuable. They saw him as their ticket to a happier life - _health, wealth and prosperity_. He was their sacrifice, and they'd never seen him as anything but prim, proper and polite.

When he's seated like a rag doll on the low table by the god's feat, a collective gasp rings out throughout the hall. Baekhyun remembers it's time for the first prayers of the day. What a sight he must be, though, with blood all over him, his eyes puffy red, and his body reduced to bones, blue all over.

When was the last time they saw him here? 

"We retrieved the child of Light, and punished the scoundrel that kidnapped him!" The _High One_ announces, "he's a little in shock, but otherwise unharmed, and has agreed for the sacrifice to take place today!" Jovial cheers follow the announcement. Baekhyun sits there, stunned. 

He tries to deny the announcement, but his voice refuses to back him up. He catches his father's eyes, and the effort he wants to put in deflates at the silent promise of pain on any misbehaviour. 

 

His hands are kept bound even at home.

His mother cleans the blood from his face with a washcloth. She applies ointment to the gash on his cheek and the redness around his wrist. There's also something else she applies all over his skin, concentrating on the bruised, colorued parts.

"You look like you've been through a lot." She finally speaks up. "Go to sleep, my baby."

Baekhyun remains unmoving in his spot. He sees his reflection in the dressing table mirror and barely recognizes himself. Once a proud young man who barely gave anyone the time of day, he now looks like a broken, battered prisoner. His eyes are puffed up and red, sporting dark bags underneath. His skin is marred with bruises, lines of red and spots of blue peeking out from here and there. His clothes look like he's hiding in them rather than wearing them.

His lips quiver, and he turns his face away, almost murmuring out Chanyeol's name when he notices the shirt he's wearing belongs to him.

"I'll bring you something to eat, alright?" She combs her fingers through his messy hair, "Would you like anything specific?" 

He doesn't realize she's talking to him until she addresses him again by name.

He's spoon-fed like a child. Sweet drinks are pressed against his lips. Gentle hands wash his hair. He barely registers where he is and why this is happening. The only time he reacts is when she tries to change his clothes. Baekhyun pulls away, out of her reach.

" _No!_ "

This is the last of Chanyeol left with him.

"Baekhyun, baby, it's dirty. You need to change."

"No."

"I'll put out clothes for you. You can change yourself, alright?"

She leaves the room to give him privacy. When she returns, an hour later, with more food, Baekhyun is still crouching against the bed, his hands fisted in the bloodied shirt.

She puts her arms around him, cradling his head against her shoulder.

"Baby, you worry me." She places a tender kiss to the crown of his head. "You can't do this. You know I love you."

_I'm so sorry, Chanyeol. I'm so sorry._

Did it matter that she loved him, or that he loved Chanyeol? Their feelings didn't change anything in the grand scheme of things. He would have done anything for Chanyeol, anything to save him, but in the end, he had died. Even if the entire world loved Baekhyun, he was still going to die.

 _People lead such short lives,_ Chanyeol had said. 

_People lead such tragic lives,_ grandmother had said. 

So, what was the point of trying to keep something that was ultimately going to be taken away? If life is short and tragic, what is the point of living?

Was loving someone in this short lifetime worth it? 

There was already so much pain in the world, the added weight of a dead lover was one weight too heavy.

 

He's brought to the temple hours before the sun has to sink. The sacrifice begins as the sun's tip sinks behind the horizon, but there are many preparations to be done before that.

"We should have cut this out." His father pinches the small tattoo behind his neck. Baekhyun yelps in pain. "Filth doesn't deserve to carry it on itself."

His hands are untied, and then bound to the hooks in the table. Baekhyun weakly tugs at them, hoping that the metals would be hammered loose and set him free.

They'd tried to take his shirt off earlier, but Baekhyun had lapsed into rage, attacking anyone who wandered too close. Now that he's tied and exhausted again, the shirt is cut off him despite his indignant protests.

The low table by the god's feet had already been kept clean. Today, for the first time, Baekhyun notices the intricate designs carved into the stone. They're in the shape of fire and smoke, gathering at the center of the table where the design is absent and Baekhyun is tied down. They're deeper than any carving he's seen before, almost like little canals. 

He's soon to find that's exactly what they are. One of the temple guardians pours a jug of oil into one end of the carved design, slowly filling up the entire piece. Baekhyun doesn't dare look down to see where his body touches it. 

All he wonders about is why he's still here. He's a tainted sacrifice. He's ineligible now that he's bodily impure. He would have cried the fact out, he really does want to scream and let everyone know, but his father had sealed his lips with one simple threat.

 _"If you don't want your tongue to be boiling beside your head, you will keep your mouth shut."_ Mr. Byun's eyes had been livid. Baekhyun had glared back at him, but he took the warning seriously.

He wants justice for Chanyeol. If it comes by outing how the _High One_ is cheating the tribe, Baekhyun would gladly do so. He wants everyone to know that these people murdered an innocent man, and now they're deceiving everyone by messing up their messed up ritual. But the problem is, Baekhyun will lose. He'll be killed anyway, and the aftermath will be handled by his father and the _High One_. He won't be alive to present any arguments or give any accounts. People will gobble up everything the elders tell them. The choice is between dying in pain, or dying in excruciating pain.

Baekhyun sniffles, weeping silently. He shakes his head, hoping he's been in a nightmare so far.

He hears the low murmur of conversation as people begin to gather for the last prayers of the day. There's an excitement in their chatter that's usually absent, because today is the sacrifice. The first in over a century.

Today they'll all witness what they've only heard in stories so far. Today they will stay up, praying all night as Baekhyun burns into ash.

The ropes that are suddenly bound around his ankles remind him all too horribly how real this is.

Baekhyun looks over his shoulder at the growing crowd. They must have called all the important people too, people who lived outside the borders of the tribe, like D.O.

Baekhyun spots him immediately, standing at the very front with his hands clasped together and his gaze fixed on the statue of the large bird above Baekhyun. He spots his mother and brother standing close to the wall, both looking distant and lost. He sees some schoolmates and neighbours. He sees people looking at him and he's never wanted anyone's sight on him in such a moment. His visibility is limited because of his position, and the movement puts a strain on his neck, so he stops. Humiliated, ashamed, and terrified, he stops.

He feels sick, but mostly sad. He feels sad not only for himself but for everyone. They're all ignorant fools. They can't see for themselves or think for themselves, relying on batshit folklore and make-believe stories. Now, they're going to murder a human being in the name of happiness, and it won't even itch their consciousness. They won't know what they've done wrong because this is the moment they've been waiting for all their lives. They're numb to another's suffering.

_Why should I sacrifice myself for people like them?_

Baekhyun sighs, which gradually dissolves into a trembling whimper. He didn't think he was capable of any more tears, but as the _High One_ shushes everyone and orders for the prayers to begin, Baekhyun feels them leaking out.

Time slips away so fast. It seems like yesterday when he was carefree and the weight of the curse on him was unknown. Ever since he'd been told about being the child of Light, a heavy load had been rested on his shoulders.

The prayers end sooner than he'd have wanted. They never did seem to end when he had to walk here as every other person.

Baekhyun might have prayed to the god too, begged for some miracle to save him, but he is the one reason he's going to be dead in the first place, so he doesn't bother.

He's both angry and sad, and his feelings are directed at everyone, including himself. His lips tremble, and he can't keep his body from quivering. 

Everything inside him goes rigid and cold when he feels the sharp edge of a blade press against his bare back. He grits his teeth as it sink in. Baekhyun is conflicted between screaming in pain or staying silent in strength. He doesn't want to give his father the satisfaction of seeing him hurting like this. He also doesn't want to let him get away with claiming what a great sacrifice his son was, bearing the pain like a true candidate should. The man wins either way.

He groans, weeping silently as the blade draws careful designs into his skin. The drawing is the last thing he wants on his body, and this isn't going to be the worst of it. He tries to imagine he's not here, but the stinging pain on his back keeps him well and aware of his situation.

The blade has been dragged all across his pectorals, under his shoulders and up and down his spine. Baekhyun blearily becomes aware that they're _drawing_ the Phoenix on him. 

He jerks aside, winching when the blade strays from its path and accidently digs deeper into his skin. There is a collective gasp from the audience, as if they've witnessed a horror beyond their comprehension. 

Despite the pain, he can't help but grin smugly in victory. 

A tainted sacrifice, with a disturbed drawing. This sacrifice is going to be the most memorable of any ever made. He'll make sure of it.

Unfortunately, after the little show of rebellion, he's unable to.

The hands that hold him down are large and stubby, encasing around his joints like thick ropes around twigs.

"Brutes!" Baekhyun sneers at the temple guardians as they untie the bindings of his wrists, pulling him up to his knees to sit rigidly in front of the grand statue. "You're all monsters!"

A hand in his hair yanks his head backwards. He cries in pain, trying to catch his breath as he stares at the stars. The hall had never had a ceiling, letting the interior bathe in sunlight. Now, though, Baekhyun wishes it had, so he wouldn't have to see the sky.

 _"Those three are always in line, see there?"_ Yes, Chanyeol. Yes, I see it, now. _"They're part of Orion; Orion's belt."_ What is that? Can you tell me, somehow? Chanyeol? Can you tell me about the sea, then? We spent the first night together on the shore. Can you give me a sign you remember? 

He tries to steady his heartbeat, muttering to himself, about grandmother, about Chanyeol and Candy, about college. Sweat and blood trickles down his skin as his heart beat further intensities instead of calming down.

Whimpering pleads finally start falling from his lips when a knife is put to the mark under his naval. He tries to shake his head, the grip on his hair keeping him still. _No. No. No._

The sound of a soft hymn is carried around the hall. It's a song Baekhyun learned in preschool. It has a lovely sound and a soothing melody that would have been pleasing if Baekhyun had been on the singing side of the group. But the song is being sung for him, and he's not happy at all.

It's the song of sacrifice.

_What you love the most, you must return to the Phoenix._

_Burn it, so he can collect the ashes and birth it again._

If only he couldn't understand the lyrics.

Baekhyun had known every detail of the sacrifice, what would happen to him, at what time, why. He doesn't remember anything about drawings being cut into him. He's stunned when the sharp metal is dragged across his front, weaving in curls, loops and swirls. The marks are like scratches, red and stinging, but they don't bleed. In the middle, right over his heart, the Light is drawn again.

Then, the one under his naval is cut out, slowly, carefully, and delicately, as Baekhyun screams his throat hoarse. He's a mess when they let go of him; oil, blood, sweat and fear pungent on him.

He finds his wrists back in their old slots, the last ounce of energy drained from him from the ordeal. His fingers twitch, and his broken skin burns, exposed to the elements. He's in disbelief, as the High One raises the cut symbol for everyone to see. 

Bloodied red hands, cut skin flapping like cloth, prayers of prosperity and acceptance of the sacrifice. Baekhyun's head spins and his stomach retches.

The torture still isn't over. 

A pair of hands run over his torso, smearing black and red all over. The black is coal. The red is his blood. This part of the ritual is to turn the cuts into scars, to turn the red streams black, putting tattoos of the ancient kind of him.

He sobs, knowing the final step is not too far.

The long, thin matchstick is held almost mockingly in front of his face. The _High One_ smiles, like he's doing the world a favour, like he's proud of Baekhyun, and he's seen something that's given him the greatest joy.

The hymn raises in pitch and fervour. 

Baekhyun shakes his head, pleading voicelessly one last time.

The match is gently lowered to light up the liquid on the table. Flames spread out, running in every direction through the carving, hungrily reaching forward, licking up the combustible and rapidly making their way towards the core, the center, the Light, Baekhyun. 

His scream is drowned out by the roar of fire, as it suddenly raises up like a giant wall of flames from the candles that are kept around the temple. The candles lined behind the table also spit out monstrous flames that shoot towards the sky. The statute of the Phoenix begins to char under the heat, the once glistening white stone slowly melting in front of Baekhyun's eyes. Something drops from the roof, hitting one of the temple guardians on the head. He's dead within the second, his head crushed under rock.

The look of disbelief and horror on the _High One_ 's face changes when his eyes rest on Baekhyun. 

"You've ruined us!" He screams, pointing a trembling finger at his face. "You've angered the god, you _filthy, vile,_ child! You're a tainted sacrifice! He's rejected you!"

Baekhyun's mind is still wrapped up in confusion. He looks around, as much as his restrained position allows, to see that the entire temple is surrounded by a wall of fire. It comes closer, slowly tightening the circle, burning everything to dust at touch. The heat is so intense, the centuries old walls begin to collapse.

For a moment, he's sure this is part of the sacrificial ritual. It's not until the _High One_ screams that he realizes something's gone terribly wrong. Terrified screams remain unheard over the snapping and roaring of the fire.

Baekhyun is left alone at the table as people gather in the center of the temple, huddling closer, hugging each other and crying out in confusion. He suddenly realizes that the whole town is gathered here, today. Everyone was supposed to stay here till sunrise. Not just people from the town, but every follower of the Phoenix had arrived from all across the country.

He has no idea what is going on, but what he knows for sure is that everyone is going to die today. Their lineage will end here. Tonight.

The fire that surrounds him on the table is small and tame. There is still unburned oil in the carving, but the fire won't spread over it. It flickers calmly in place, lighting up the design underneath it. 

A strong gust of heat blows over as the wall of fire suddenly closes in. Baekhyun raises his arms to protect himself. From between the dancing flames, he sees the town buildings burning. Everything past the supernatural wall is burning.

He looks down in surprise, noticing that the ropes around his wrists are missing. Their charred and tattered remains lay close to the hooks on the table.

The confusions keep piling up. 

His head is suddenly slammed on the table, right onto the still flames. Baekhyun scrambles to free himself as the _High One_ screams in his ear. "Beg for forgiveness! Ask him to forgive you! You've doomed us all, you wretched child!"

Baekhyun kicks his leg back, right into the man's abdomen, successfully freeing himself. He lays still, blinking slowly and waiting for his vision to regain focus. He can't muster enough energy to move himself off the flame. To his pleasant surprise, though, the fire on the table is already put out.

The screams turn hysterical and questions of confusion are thrown around as one part of the fire wall opens up, allowing a figure to step into the ring. 

Baekhyun sighs, wanting everyone to just shut up and be quiet so he can get some rest. The table is cool and comfortable under his aching body. He watches red mix with the gold of the oil. They must smell terrible together. The only thing he can smell right now is wood and flesh burning.

" _You?_ " 

The question is thrown around a number of times, in venom and confusion, enough to make Baekhyun curious. He raises himself on his arms, slowly turning around to see what is going on. His attention is suddenly diverted back when he feels something as hot as the sun touching him. He almost screams as the fire wall dances right in front of his eyes, but before it can touch him, the flames part, pass through, and then come back together like curtains, cutting his view of his tribe.

He can faintly hear shrill screams of horror and disbelief, but the loudest sound still belongs to the monstrous fire. Around him, the temple is in ruins. Only rotten little stumps remain, hinting to something that must have been. They house harmless little flames, blowing up soot as hot winds pass them. There is no evidence of anything grand having stood there at all, something which survived centuries.

Everything around him is burning down. The electric poles lay melted and the buildings half gone, fires eating them away like starving monsters and embers glimmering everywhere. Another gust of hot air turns his attention towards the inferno that surrounds the townspeople. 

The flames part again, allowing a man step through. Behind his silhouetted frame, the _High One_ follows, his face twisted in rage. His out stretched hand never manages to touch the faceless stranger before the fire closes in on him. 

The skin burns off first, as quick as tissue paper, before the muscles burn away and the blood evaporates. The bones are the last to be eaten up, turning into dust and being blown away within the blink of an eye.

He turns from a living creature to nothing in under a second.

The inferno suddenly twists into a tornado and closes into the tightest circular ring. Soot goes flying up the top opening like confetti, and it rains on the town like snow.

Baekhyun gapes. His thoughts halt and words fail him.

He watches the soft specks of black fall around him. They come down like soft rain, fluttering around the blazing fires and coating everything in black.

_Which one belongs to mother? Which one to brother?_

The wild fire simmers out and nothing is left in its spot. No evidence of hundreds of people having been trapped there.

This is _god_. This is the _Phoenix_ , and this is _his_ power.

Baekhyun swallows. Cold sweat trickles down his forehead. He turns on his back, using his arms to drag himself backwards in an attempt to create distance between himself and the shadowy figure advancing towards him.

A source of light appears behind the man, and before Baekhyun has time to comprehend anything, it bursts into magnificent flaming wings, attached to the man's back. They flutter once, brushing off feathers of fire, before one of them swings forward and Baekhyun feels hot air and embers crashing against him. 

The soot blows off him, and one of the wings settle over his head like an umbrella, shielding him from the black raining down.

The stranger stands in front of him, now. He holds his palm up, growing a small flare between his fingers. The light it provides cuts off all of the shadows hiding him and Baekhyun sees a human face.

" _Oh my_ -" Baekhyun's slaps a hand over his mouth, refusing to let another word out. His brain goes haywire trying to put two and two together.

"Hi." The low timber of his voice is still the same. It still rings within his ear, and sends his heart beating against his ribs. The twinkle in his eyes, the touch of his fingers, even his clothes are still the same; bloodied and torn.

Baekhyun shakes his head. 

_This is a dream. I'm already dead._

The flare floats away from his hand and levitates beside them, and the wing stays over his head as large hands hoist him to his feet.

"My sacrifice," he croons, "I accept you."

"Chanyeol?" His head is spinning. He can barely stand without the other's help. " _It can't be._ "

 _Chanyeol_ tilts his head, the smile on his face soft and understanding. "I am every bit Chanyeol, as you are every bit Baekhyun."

" _No_." Baekhyun shakes his head. "Chanyeol is dead."

"But I'm right here, in front of you." He whispers. Surprisingly, Baekhyun hears him loud and clear over the crackling fire. Chanyeol's hands are _warmhotburning_ as they rub his arms soothingly. "I'm sorry, I took so long."

"But ..." Baekhyun's eyes skim over _Chanyeol_ 's face. He looks at the spots he's kissed, the ones he's touched and the features he remembers the most. Everything is Chanyeol's. "What did you do?"

He remains thoughtful for a moment before he speaks up. "I gave myself the greatest sacrifice any god can be given," his lips pull into a menacing expression as his eyes shine under the bright flare, "all his devotees sacrificed for him. It's sad, but it's beautiful, too." His lips pull into a more genuine, and rather upset, smile.

Baekhyun looks between his eyes, confused. ".. I don't understand ..."

"You have all eternity to," Chanyeol smiles before he leans down, pressing his lips to Baekhyun's forehead. The touch is scalding on first contact, but his body quickly adjusts, and then it's as soothing as it's supposed to be. "Fate brought us together. Once, twice, and it would have brought us together, again and again. You came for me." Chanyeol positively beams as he relies the information. "They were fools thinking I would let you go so easily."

Baekhyun feels thumbs rubbing below his naval. He pulls away abruptly, looking down to see his skin regenerated, and his birthmark still intact. But now, it's black. Two small wings also spread out from either side of the symbol.

He realizes that the cuts made on his torso resemble the tattoos on Chanyeol's.

His hands gently pull Baekhyun close again. His knuckles brush against his cheek, wiping away the tears, and that _one_ particular expression is back on his face. It's been there all the time, every time Chanyeol looked at him. Baekhyun realized the meaning behind it the first time when he lay under Chanyeol, in his car. Seeing it again brings back a torrent of feelings and memories, of how much he's lost, and how much he thought he'd lost. 

"Are you really Chanyeol?" he breathes.

"And this is Candy." He introduces a small bird that flies onto his shoulder. It's no larger than a chick, with beady red eyes and a blazing fire for a crown on her head. Her small wings are also alight with flames, the same colour as Chanyeol's.

Baekhyun looks between two, still dazed and in disbelief. Slowly, though, his eyes begin to glow with acceptance. 

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Hm?" Chanyeol's eyebrows raise up. "I'm going to take you home."

Baekhyun's hands are encased by Chanyeol's before his vision is consumed by blinding white. He hears soft chirping, feels a warm breeze brush away his bangs, a soft press of lips on his own before his senses shut down.

 

 

 

 

The next day a small article is published in _The Dong-A Ilbo_ , in one of the last few pages. It is fit into a tight corner of the right most column, barely taking more than a few hundred words.

 

**Massive forest fire burns down tourist town**

In the early morning hours of . . .  
no infrastructure survives . . . no bodies recovered . . .  
Investigators speculate . . . incinerated . . .  
no determinable cause of fire . . .  
surprised how no one detected the presence of such a large fire . . .  
emergency number for the fire brigade . . .

**Author's Note:**

> [This post](http://brittlepin.dreamwidth.org/4189.html) is a compilation of questions and answers collected for this fic. If there's something you're curious about and it remains unanswered, feel free to ask until your heart's content!


End file.
